After making it to District quarterfinals in 2023, Head Coach Ryan Butchart hopes the varsity boys soccer team can perform even better this year.
“Expectations are pretty high, we’ve got a good group of players. [The team] had a big meeting about everybody’s role in the team, and that helped solidify what [the players] jobs are going to be. But I think that also gave them [the belief] that we could be competitive,” he said.
The team finished as the 7th seed last season with a record of 13-9. Falling short to the Chaminade Red Devils, losing 2-0 in the District quarterfinals.
“Last year’s record was good, but we didn’t do what we wanted to in the postseason. I think a big part of what went wrong last year was [that] there wasn’t enough sacrifice in the group,” Butchart said. “[The players] didn’t understand the level of sacrifice it takes to win, on and off the field. We talked a lot about that and about this year about sacrificing a bit more during the season to really understand what it takes to win at that level.”
Butchart said the team could be very successful this season if those problems are fixed.
“As a team we want to improve on winning big games and working together to achieve these wins,” junior TJ Bender said.
His goal for the season is to win the District title. The last time Lafayette won a District title in boys soccer was 12 years ago, when Butchart was playing on the team as a high school athlete.
“There’s no doubt we should be able to compete with almost anybody. It will come down to a bit of grit and how much we’re willing to put on the line to get some big wins,” Butchart said, “I’d say our number one goal this year is the district title. We’re not too far off, [from winning it].
Five key players from last season have graduated, including Mathues Gasparino who had the most assists on the team with 7. He also scored 5 goals. The team also lost starting goalkeeper Jack Burkhardt.
However, Butchart said the team has a number of senior key players this year, including Bender, Andrew Dillard, Sam Kalish, James Kolb and Braxton Lawhorn.
Kolb was the team’s top goal scorer, with 6 goals last season, followed by Dillard who scored 5 goals. Kalish and Dillard will be the team’s captains for the upcoming season.
“Kalish is a center midfield player. He’s kind of the quarterback of our team. Dillard, our forward, is one of the most talented players I’ve ever coached. Kolb, center [midfield], phenomenal skill player. Our two anchors in defense will be Bender and Lawhorn,” Butchart said, “We’re gonna lean on [them] heavily at the beginning of the year because we do have quite a few new faces in our team who will need time to adjust.”
Lawhorn looks to make a comeback after suffering a knee injury which caused him to miss the entire 2023-2024 season.
“It was one of the more nasty knee injuries I’ve seen in terms of recovery time and all the procedures that were needed. But he’s now fully back, and Lawhorn is a big part of our team. He’s a really good player and he [seems to be] back to his old self,” Butchart said.
The team kicked off their season against Parkway West Aug. 30, winning 2-1. Their next game is a home game against Kirkwood at 6 p.m., Sept. 3.
“I am very excited for this year because all my teammates are like family to me. My goals for the season are to build upon everyone’s strengths, win Districts, and hopefully go on from there,” Bender said.
