The boys soccer team has one thing on their mind going into the 2016 season.

Redemption.

After falling 1-0 in the DI championship to the Concord Crimson Tide, the Lancers will look to make it back to the ship this year. The team went 12-2-2 in the regular season, finishing third overall in the DI standings, and hope to repeat the same success this year.

“Last year was a good season for us,” said senior goaltender and captain Cam Wheeler. “It was a tough loss to Concord, but we feel we can get back to the finals.”

However, the team will have a lot of work cut out for them, as they lost 13 players to graduation last year, which included all-state midfielders Nate Gaw and Griffin Cowles. And with senior defender and captain Nick Vanini sidelined with a knee injury, the Lancers will need both their returning varsity athletes and their new players to step up.  

“We have some new players who will be playing bigger roles for us, especially at midfielder,” Wheeler said. “Owen Creed [junior], Jayden West [senior], and Brian Frechette [senior] will surely be key players this year.”

Senior captain West is the only returning starter from last year’s squad, other than injured Vanini. And with more than half of the team being first year varsity players, there will be a lot of new faces on the pitch.

“We will need certain players to step up this year,” Wheeler said. “But we all have confidence in this team.”

The team opened their season this past Friday in a rematch of the DI semifinals, as they went against the Hanover Marauders. Hanover took the victory in that one, by a score of 2-0.  

The boys’ next game will be Tuesday, August 30, at home against the Spaulding Red Raiders.