It’s officially boys soccer season as they look to improve upon some of their successes last year.
Last season, the RedHawks finished with a winning record of 10-7-5, ending up fourth in the conference.
Marist has struggled to find its footing this season however, a possible reason being that they are without graduated players including Jacob Easterling and Christian Bedgood who led the team in goals and assists respectively.
“I think it’s been a rougher start to the year than we anticipated but some years are like that. It’s a test of your character when you have stretches of bad results but it only matters how you bounce back when that happens. We have a long season ahead of us and I have a lot of hope for what this group can do,” said senior goalkeeper Billy Petto.
The RedHawks started off playing in the Windy City Classic Tournament at Reavis High School in late August. They played their first game of the tournament against Mansueto and lost 2-0.
Next up was a matchup against the Hinsdale South Hornets, where they fell again with a loss of 3-2 despite impressive performances from juniors Benji Flores and Jack Heidemann.
The final game of the tournament was against the Hancock Eagles which resulted in a draw, final score of 1-1, with the lone goal coming from Flores.
Finishing the tournament 0-2-1, the RedHawks looked to redeem themselves as they prepared for their first conference matchup.
Marist started the conference-play strong defeating the Nazareth Roadrunners 1-0. The game had great performances from seniors Aidan Mannion and Billy Petto, with Mannion scoring the game’s only goal and Petto having four saves as goalkeeper.
The RedHawks did not seem to build on the momentum however, as they lost the battle for the Pulaski Cup against Brother Rice 1-0. The RedHawks lost again to Benet Academy 4-1 on September 10.
“I don’t think there’s one specific thing that we could be doing better at the moment, I feel that we just need to hit that groove and get into midseason form. The mentality on the team has been to win and I think we have some good outings in the near future,” said Petto.
“Going forward, we need to be able to prioritize our health while also being able to step up whenever the team needs us,” said senior Ryan Sawicki.
Marist was able to start to find momentum playing in the BodyArmor Tournament on September 13. The RedHawks shutout Romeoville 1-0, with MVP honors going to Jaden Morrero.
The RedHawks still have a lot of season left with 11 games on the schedule as they look to turn things around and finish with a winning record.
