The LHS boys soccer team is set to have a stellar season under the leadership of an experienced crew of seniors and a few skilled younger players. 

In their first six matchups, LHS won the four matches, only losing one and tying another. Under the lights, in the suddenly quiet postgame minutes after a hard-fought tie against Seamen High School, Coach Daley was optimistic about the rest of the season. 

“I’ve been extremely proud of the boys,” Daley said. “We’ve got two great wins at home, and I’m incredibly proud of the battle today. Our offense has been very good this year. Our defense has only given up four goals in three games. We do rely on our offense to score quite a few goals, so we’ll learn from that tonight, we had plenty of good opportunities. Only three games in, I’m extremely proud of where we’re at now, knowing where we need to be after game 16 for the playoffs. Great signs.”

Ultimately, success in the playoffs is the goal, and junior Colin Sandefur and senior Cale Scott are stepping up to lead the team. Scott is focused on the regular season.

“Hopefully we can get a winning record,” Scott said. “Last year we set a goal to have 10 wins and we did not achieve that. But I think this year we have a young group who’s determined. We lack in size, but with technical skill we’ve improved a lot.”

Sandefur agreed with Scott, explaining that the makeup of the team is strong this year. 

“Most of our returning varsity players are in the midfield and forward positions, so that’s definitely our strength,” Sandefur says. “Although our defense has definitely showed that they are nowhere near our weakness. They’ve been playing really well.”

Daley also couldn’t help but praise nearly the whole team after their hard effort against Seamen. 

“Cale, leading us in goals, massive help,” Daley said. “Colin Sandefur, and his brother have been great in the wings. Jake Everhart and Ayden Ammann, the defensive pairing on the back line. Carson Schraad had done a lot of good things. 

Daley went on to describe how the skill of the midfield doesn’t always show on the stat sheet, but he says that it is key to winning games. 

“Our midfield of Asher Sikes, Carson Cole, Alden Parker Timms and Ocean Comfort-those guys are young; they don’t have a ton of experience, although Carson is a great senior leader in there,” Daley said. “The midfield has been a really talented unit, and it really opens up the games, because they have to do a lot of the dirty work defensively, and then they play it to those front three of Colin, Patrick, and Cale, and let them get the glory and score the goals.”

According to Scott, staying positive through adversity was a theme of being a leader that he had to work for against Seamen. 

“At times I have to watch what I say, and be as positive as possible,” Scott said.  “When things don’t go our way, a good example was tonight: I lost my head at times, I picked up a yellow tonight. I think when I step on the field with younger boys they look up to me, and when I’m positive and I get them going and I give them good criticism, they play well under me and they perform.”

Scott and Sandefur are ready to lead the team this year, and Daley says he is very proud of how his team is playing. He wants LHS soccer to stay true to their goals. 

“I want to stay true to our identity; we want to be a high pressing team, organized defensively, we want to be extremely dangerous in the attack,” said Daley. “I also want us to represent Lawrence High really well, represent the Sunflower League really well. I want us to be a team with high character, that just plays some really aggressive soccer and can turn some results in our direction.”