The forwards dribble the ball downfield and past defenders. They are the main offensive weapons for the Little Hawks.

“Playing forward is tough in some aspects but it can be easy in other aspects. There can be games where you might only touch the ball once in a half, but you still have to stay high on the field and make runs for your teammates,” forward Henry Mosher ‘16 said. “It’s nice to play forward because you don’t have to run the whole field like a midfielder would.”

One big strength for City High this year is the team’s depth, especially for the forwards. City has John Havugarurema ‘15, Sarrive Rukakiza ‘16, Henry Mosher ‘16 as the returning forwards. Experience is something that the forwards hope they can use to their advantage.

The Little Hawks are expected to switch up their line up this year, with a deep bench and a lot of players that can play multiple positions. The Little Hawks have five true forwards listed on the roster this year, including many other players that play either forward or midfielder.

“Our bench is really deep, which allows us to sub whenever someone looks tired. This lets whoever is on the field to go hard for as long as they can,” Mosher said.

Mosher hopes to make a run for the state championship this year.

“I’m really excited that we have a great team, and a really deep bench. I’m excited for our probability of winning a state championship, I think we have a really good chance of doing it this year,” Mosher said.

Standing at the far end of the field, goalkeepers Daniel Goldenstein ‘15 and Sam Tomek ‘17 are the last line of defense for the Little Hawks. They hope they won’t have to make a play, but must make sure that those few plays won’t put the team in an unfavorable position.

“It’s about 80, and we have a good team, so more like 95% of the time completely boring, and then 5% of the time very exciting. It’s a really transparent position, because if you mess up, everyone is gonna notice, there’s no just kind of shrugging it off, because it’s gonna affect the entire game,” Goldenstein ‘15 said. “We just got to make sure that those few shots aren’t gonna put our team in an unfavorable position.”

In addition to having to prevent goals from being scored against the Little Hawks, they have to also have to sometimes sacrifice their bodies for the team.

“I think our biggest contribution to the team is just putting our bodies on the line. When there’s a scuffle in the box, and the ball is loose, you really just got to jump down on it, even if a striker’s kicking where your head is gonna be,” Goldenstein said.

Backup goalie Sam Tomek ‘17 agrees that the position is scary because it receives a lot of attention, which puts extra pressure on the goalie.

“[Playing goalkeeper is] extremely scary, because if you screw up, it’s a goal,” Tomek said.

Despite last year’s loss in the first round of the state tournament, Goldenstein says he has high expectations for both himself and the team as a whole.

“I think we’re going to see a similar season to last year, with the exception of a more satisfactory finish in State. I think last year, we had the team to do it, but when it came down to it, it didn’t work out for us,” Goldenstein said. “This year, we have the talent, we have the coaching staff, we’ve been training really hard. I think this year, we are going to progress much farther in the state tournament.”

Standing in the back, concentrating on the play, directing traffic to prevent goals. For the Little Hawk defenders, this is a rewarding job.

“Playing as a defender is sometimes grueling but very rewarding, because we have the most responsibility,” Tribbey said. “People don’t always see that we have to kind of clean up when our team loses the ball. It’s our responsibility to always direct the team because we see the whole field.”

The defenders are an experienced group, with senior captains Tribbey and Nicholson both playing centre back. In contrast to the leadership in the middle, the Little Hawks have younger players on the outside. They have Schlutter and Meyer, two underclassmen on the outside. The defenders can also provide an offensive spark. Nicholson led the team in scoring last season with nine goals; Tribbey was right behind with six.

Having experience in the middle of the defensive line helps the younger players.

“There’s definitely more defensive responsibility, but with having such experienced players as Scott and Adam playing center back, there’s also a lot of good leadership and communication,” Schlutter said.

All athletes need to improve, and the defenders are no different. Tribbey said that practices are intense, and are very important to the team’s success.

“Individually I need to work on some technical things, but as a team we need to keep focusing on our tactical discipline and that all comes from practice. So our practices need to improve too,” Tribbey said.

The players think that experience will be a big factor this year, and will help lead the team to be successful in big games.

“Adam and I in the back are a good foundation for the team and our experience I think sends a message to other teams, especially because everyone knows Adam,” Tribbey said.

The Little Hawk midfielders are some of the most vocal players on the field, they are responsible for communication in the middle of the field. They are constantly trying to set up teammates.
“Making sure your teammates are in position and organized is very important, and often times, the midfielders are responsible for that,” starting midfielder Anton Buri ‘15 said. “[We are] always striving to make [ourselves] available for a pass and to help the team transition from one area of the field to another.”

For the Midfielders, the running and communication are the most important part. They take a big role in setting up the team.

“Making sure your teammates are in position and organized is very important, and often times, the midfielders are responsible for that. A midfielder is always striving to make himself available for a pass and helping his team transition from one area of the field to another.”

The Little Hawks have a lot of options at midfielder. They have 11 players on the roster listed at midfielder. Captain Peter Larsen ‘15, Mitchell McCarthy ‘16, Victor Brown-Rodriguez ‘16, and Collin O’Meara ‘16 are the four players that are truly midfielders. The Little Hawks have seven other players that can play either midfielder or other positions.

“Having depth and talent in the midfield is great because it keeps everyone competitive,” Buri said. “It’s also helpful to have a player who can come in off the bench and be just as productive as the player they replaced. Having fresh legs can change the game.”

The Little Hawks also hope to build upon their experience. Brown-Rodriguez ‘16, O’Meara ’16, Buri ‘15, and Larsen ‘15all played on varsity last year.

“Tactically it’s very fortunate that we have good players that can fill those midfield spots. Especially the way we play, since we are a team that loves to keep possession of the ball, with quick and short passes,” Brown-Rodriguez ‘16 said.