by Jake Boese |

Last year’s Blue Jays soccer team had four seniors. This year’s team experienced a vast growth in leadership and experience potential this year with ten seniors.

The number of returning players helps the team have tighter chemistry.

“With the great amount of experience and leadership that we have this year, it is really drawing us together as a team,” senior Spencer Hurla said.

Time spent together before this season also helped the team become closer.

“It all started with the team trip to my lake house that helped us unify,” sophomore TJ Stansbury said. “It also helps that most of us have played with each other for a long time so we know what our team is going to do before we get out on the field,”

The team’s focus this year is primarily on sticking together.

“This year we have increased our focus on our team unity so that when we get out on the field we are all on the same page to accomplish one common goal,” Hurla said.

The team hopes their unity will help them be successful.

“It’s the focus we’ve come into the season with,” head coach Thomas Rottjakob said. “We have come in this year as a team and not as individuals. Over time, the teams that act more as a family and not as individuals have a higher success rate. If you are willing to do whatever it takes for your team and teammates you can accomplish so much more.”

The team believes that by helping someone else you are also helping yourself.

“The principle of helping others in return will also be beneficial to one’s self,” Rottjakob said.

With all the returning players being so comfortable with each other, difficulties can arise for the younger players.

“It’s a little bit harder because you don’t have a say in a lot of things. It’s good though to have guys to look up to knowing someday you’ll have to do the same thing,” Stansbury said.

With more experienced players, it means the team also has more returning talent.

“The amount of talent throughout our team is exponentially greater than any of the last three seasons,” Hurla said. “Realizing this, we are constantly being pushed to the max so that we can reach our fullest potential by the time post-season rolls around.”

The amount of talent from top to bottom on the team means that everybody is successful, and not just one player shines.

“It’s all about the team and how everybody sticks together and nobody stands out. If no one argues we can have a better bond and not break down,” junior Charlie Raasch said.

The team believes that if they keep up the chemistry, they can improve upon last year’s season.

“Our goal is to not get down on each other and do better than last year. We want to make a name for ourselves this year,” Raasch said.