by Cody Clawson |

All teams know that throughout the season things will go unplanned and they will have to work around whatever the problem is. For the men’s soccer team, injuries have been a huge obstacle in their goal of a state championship. They have had to deal with many injuries, from bruised hamstrings, to rolled ankles, to even mono.
“They [injuries] have killed us. We have struggled with so many starters out,” coach Thomas Rottjakob said. “We have had some people step up though. You do your best and that is really all you can ask. We have struggled the last few weeks though.”
Even with the recent rut, the team knows that these things just happen throughout the course of a season.
“We were six and one to start the season and then the injuries started to take over and everyone just got really frustrated,” junior Tim Hannah said. “We started having a lot of games in a row and everyone was getting fatigued.”
Having time to rest is huge for the success of a team. The more you play the higher the risk is for a player to get injured.
“All of the injuries have had bad timing, but at the same time good. They have been bad timing because we are trying to build a solid team, but they have been good timing because they now and come post season everyone should be healthy,” senior Drew Dempsey said.
One good thing about injuries for a team is that you really get to see what the bench is made of. Coaches are truly tested to find places for players, who do not normally play, to play, and play well with the team.
“Throughout all these injuries we have really been forced to test the depth of the team,” junior Spencer Hurla said.
Although the depth of the team has been tested throughout the season, the team knows come postseason, they will be ready to go.
“Even though we have had all of the injuries I see our team getting better the further the season goes and I know when postseason comes we will be ready for any team,” Hurla said.