Seniors on Kentwood\u2019s boys soccer team want to find a way to channel their frustrations.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
There are the early season frustrations that come with learning to play together again.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The frustrations that come with being a Kentwood athlete.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Most of all, though, there is the frustration borne out of getting a match away from the state title game a year ago and coming up just shy in a 2-1 loss to Eastlake.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Sure, the Conquerors went on to take third, but that wasn\u2019t enough for seniors Chris Kubeja, Eli Peterson and Hunter Pyne.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
They wanted to bring home Kentwood\u2019s first boys soccer state crown just like the girls soccer squad had done in the fall.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tough because we want to find each other again,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cAt the end of last season we were playing so well, we came into this season with high expectations. We want to be a team instead of individuals who are good athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Those expectations are higher after what the Conks accomplished last year, Pyne said, \u201cand it\u2019s just a higher level of playing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Kubeja said the team, which returns 15 players of which eight were starters a year ago, has one goal in mind: win the state title.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Kentwood finished<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
13-0-3 and at the top of the division a year ago with a 17-2-3 overall record.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
From goal, Kubeja plans to try and use his experience as a field player on his select team to help coordinate the Kentwood attack as well as defense.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI can conduct people and direct them,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I can relate to them and not just be in my own little world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth noting that last year was the first time Kubeja ever played in goal.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, my first time on varsity\u2026 they asked me to play goalie,\u201d he said. \u201cNow I understand my team needed me. If my teammates didn\u2019t give me the support I needed, I would be the player I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
That support came from Peterson and a group of other players who pulled him aside and told Kubeja he could take charge in the net.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cChris, he\u2019s one of the best keepers in the state,\u201d Pyne said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And while learning to play together again after nine months playing with club teams can be challenging, Peterson said, the players count on the way Aaron Radford coaches them.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way Radford and Tony trains us all year prepares us all year to peak at the end of the year,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cThe way we train is designed for a playoff run.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
All three seniors know that there is going to be considerable pressure for the Conks to do well again this season.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s that expectation that you have to do what\u2019s needed,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cThe community at school is different, too. Because you go to Kentwood, the entire league expects you to win. That\u2019s part of the culture of Kentwood.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Athletes at Kentwood, he added, are expected to win and leave a legacy.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Kubeja wouldn\u2019t have it any other way even if it doesn\u2019t mean the stakes are higher.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cMy whole life I\u2019ve been playing sports but Kentwood is the place I want to be because of the people,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s different than any place I\u2019ve been before.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
With that being said, Pyne added, the Kentwood players know what they have to do.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWith our success that we had last year, it\u2019s an even target, so we have to be prepared for that,\u201d Pyne said. \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that we want to go back and win state. What helped us last year was how Radford prepared us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Peterson noted there was much to learn from last year\u2019s playoff run, particularly the semi-final loss to Eastlake.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at the score of that game, it\u2019s not an indicator of what that game was like,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cThey scored on a corner. They scored off a broken play.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This year the team is starting off on a positive note and learning how to communicate.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as our work ethic is strong together as a team, there\u2019s no doubt about how far we can go,\u201d Kubeja said. \u201cThe communication part is one of the best parts.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Early on Kentwood will deal with some challenges. First, the team starts off the season with Thomas Jefferson, always a tough opponent. Plus, there are several new boys on the team, so developing positive communication on and off the field will take some work.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a point last year when we started playing together as a team,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cThere\u2019s some new faces this year. It\u2019ll take two games for them to figure that out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Though there are things which are challenging, Kubeja said, those can be motivating forces.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now you have to be frustrated,\u201d he said. \u201cIt makes you want to work on what\u2019s frustrated.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Peterson stated that the Conks can also learn from the time in the not so distant past they lost to the Royals from Kent-Meridian who hadn\u2019t won a game in a while nor beaten their cross-district rival.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In the tough South Puget Sound League North, Pyne said, \u201cevery game you have to be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel like we\u2019re good enough to beat any time in the state,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cBut, we have to come together. It\u2019s on us.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Seniors on Kentwood\u2019s boys soccer team want to find a way to channel their frustrations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":237,"featured_media":12819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-12818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12818"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/237"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12818"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=12818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}