The Everett Trojans men’s soccer team had a strong start but now faces challenges in a competitive NWAC North in their path for a championship.
Fall quarter may have started just a few weeks ago, but the men’s Trojan Soccer season has been underway since Aug. 2, when the team took a trip up north to Vancouver B.C. There, they faced Simon Fraser University in an exhibition match that ended in a scoreless tie. In addition, the Trojans faced Multnomah and Warner Pacific University during the preseason, preparing them for what’s to come.
“Desire to put into action everything we worked on during preseason is what pushed us to start strong. We were excited to compete and show what we’re capable of,” said Midfielder Cristiano Whitaker.
The first week of the season couldn’t have gone any better for Everett. Facing four opponents within five days, the team went undefeated, outscoring the other teams 11-3 through the stretch. The Trojans opened the regular season with a couple of 2-1 wins against Highline and Chemeketa.
The Trojans then traveled to Lacey, Washington to face off against South Puget Sound. It only took freshman forward Caleb Hirata three minutes to add the first goal to the scoreboard, which sparked an offensive explosion, adding three more goals by the end of the first half. South Puget Sound would continue to battle but ultimately lost 5-1.
Next, the Trojans welcomed Centralia for the first home game of the season. Hirata was eager to impress the home crowd, scoring the opening goal only 85 seconds into the match and the next 10 minutes later. Everett secured the victory in a 2-0 score, shutting Centralia out.
Everett went on to play another home game against Wenatchee Valley, but an offensive masterclass by Wenatchee had them scoring four goals in the opening half. The Trojans battled on but ultimately couldn’t dig themselves out of that first half deficit, and fell 4-2, losing their first game of the season.
On the road again, the Trojans were able to bounce back with a win at Whatcom with a score of 1-0. Everett traveled to Peninsula College to kick off league play, where the home team came out swinging, scoring within the opening minute. Peninsula added another three goals heading into the half. A hat trick by Whitaker was not enough for the comeback effort, and the Trojans dropped the game 4-3.
With league wins becoming more important, the next two opponents on the schedule were crucial due to how close the NWAC North standings were. Shoreline visited Everett, hoping to hand the Trojans another loss. After a scoreless 80 minutes, Hakim Keita would break it with his first goal of the season clinching the game for Everett.
The Trojans then traveled to face the Bellevue College Bulldogs, comfortably winning with goals from Keita, Lunden Fenster and Alhagie Ceesay. These three are among the 20 freshmen that are a part of the team.
With such a great number of freshmen, Whitaker said “the biggest struggle is finding the right chemistry and implementing our style of play with the new players joining us. It’s definitely easier when you have a larger upperclassman presence, but it’s a challenge that the coaches and sophomores have handled really well. Our strength lies in the freshmen group itself—there are so many talented players.”
Starting off the four game homestand for Everett, the Skagit Valley Cardinals defense proved to be a problem for the Trojans. They were held scoreless for the first time this season with a lone goal in the second half by the Cardinals to seal the deal.
Currently the Trojans have a 9-3 overall record with a 5-2 record in regional play that has them only behind Peninsula, who is undefeated. With playoffs creeping closer and closer, consistency is crucial when trying to get to the NWAC playoffs like the team did last year.
“We understand that when we fight together and accomplish great things, opportunities are created for everyone,” Whitaker said.
The team’s focus of the season will always be to win a championship, but Whitaker said remaining grounded is just as important.
“The mentality is to seize the day – we are focused on the present. One practice at a time; one game at a time… we have been seeking consistency. We haven’t been able to maintain momentum and string together a good sequence of games, and that’s been our main goal.”
