FAIRMONT – The Fairmont boys soccer team is coming into this season with a winning attitude. After a record of six wins, nine losses and three ties last year, the team is taking a positive and aggressive approach to achieving the goals they have set for themselves in 2024.
With only Ethan Pockrass returning as a varsity player, the team does lack some experience, but Fairmont boys soccer head coach Brady Meyer said they have a good mix of new players and experience on the varsity roster.
“Our captains have done a great job this year, especially welcoming our younger players,” Meyer said. “Angel Sanchez has done a great job of keeping the team together and holding the players accountable. Ethan [Pockrus]He is basically our organizer, helping us make sure everything is done right when needed.
“And Dominique [Earhart] Dom is the spirit of the team. He motivates people, holds them accountable, teaches them and helps them figure things out.”
As practice continues, the team continues to grow and improve, both in terms of teamwork and experience, which has given the team confidence going into their first game.
“This year we’re aiming for a winning season and trying to set the tone for this season with our first few games,” Meyer said. “We want to be pretty aggressive in our goal of winning our first few games. Our third goal this season is also to become a better football family. We’re trying to build a program, be a better program overall. We feel that if we all have the same goal and work together as a family, we can build a better, more successful program.”
The new additions to the team have been well received by the returning players, and Meyer said the older players have been very receptive and welcoming as the younger members try to find their roles on the team.
“The older kids have been really accepting and welcoming, so it’s been good,” Meyer said. “It’s still early in the season and some of the players haven’t played all spring together, so we’re just trying to get them in practice together and build chemistry.”
The team plans to maintain an attacking style of play, and scoring early and often will be key to making up for the team’s thin defense.
“We’re definitely going to be more aggressive offensively this season,” Meyer said. “We have a lot of assets up top as forwards and I think that opens up our game a lot. We have some experienced guys defensively this year, but we just don’t have the depth.”
This year’s schedule is new for the team and there’s no telling what’s going to happen early on, so the team will look to start strong and prove itself as the season progresses.
Meyer said despite the unknowns, he views this season as a sprint.
“This season is a sprint, there are some weeks where we have three or more games a week,” the manager said, “so I’ve been preaching to the players how to recover, how to look after themselves so they can recover and be ready to perform at their best.”
The Fairmont boys soccer team is scheduled to open its season on Saturday against Albert Lea at 1pm at the Albert Lea Hammer Complex.
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