By, Clara De Leon

On  September 11, the Sparta Boys Soccer team kicked off their first game versus Pope John with a huge 5-0 win. Assists made by Henri Coleman, Ethan Carey, and Patrick Connors were key in Sparta’s victory. With two goals from Tobias Gomez, one each by Kyle Enderle, Jared Aalampour, and Patrick Connors, the Sparta team proved they are here to win. Through pep talks given by Captain Gomez and Connors and dinners before games, they have been able to motivate the team and help them work together to advance onto the next win. When asked how they keep their team motivated for a tricky game their main goal is to simply keep the team “happy”, which represents the ethics and respect they hold for one another. Sparta Boys Soccer Coach, Tim Connors, also claims that they are hoping to continue to succeed and advance to play at the County Tournament in addition to the State level hopefully alongside Pope John’s team.

While they may have lost this time, Manny Vargas (Def/Mid at PJ) is hopeful for the upcoming games and believes that losing to players of good skill level only helps the team learn from their mistakes. Chris Opat (Def/Mid at PJ) has confidence in the idea that while they don’t always get the results they expect, they are able to grow from their mistakes and learn what their next move should be. Pope John already has four freshmen on varsity as compared to Sparta’s one, leading to a definitive advance on future games. Pope John’s Head Coach (Christian Ardila) also believes they are headed toward a great season with true determination and work ethic seen within the team as they begin to get adjusted with new players and senior captains. Ultimately, regardless of the “rivalry” between these two teams, they both put up an incredible effort that is seen throughout the beginning of the season.