Allyson Botzum

The Wildcats soccer team finished the season with a winning record of 15-4-2. They broke the school record of going undefeated on home turf and tied the school record of having 12 shutouts.
“We were hoping for 7 shutouts, we’re well past that and were hoping to try and tie the school record” varsity coach Kevin Fitzgerald said.
Since the beginning of the season the team worked hard for breaking school records.
“We want to break the shutout record. We have to beat 13, and head to regionals,” Abraham Contreras, junior, said.
The dedication to the sport has created strong bonds between players, allowing them to have a unique connection some teams do not have.
“Being close as a team is really important to us. Even other teams have said they don’t understand how we are so close,” Peyton Johnson, senior, said. “We’re all really good friends off the field; our passion and drive to win is really good this year.”
The team takes pride in their achievements, each win is appreciated and inspired the team to keep progressing.
“We beat Oswego one to nothing, and they were leading in conference for a while, Plainfield North three to nothing and South four to nothing,” Caden Bargas, senior, said. “We’ve been shutting out a lot of teams in conference, which is nice.”
Even when games became tough, the team used it as a learning ground; they made sure they put in their best effort, and no play went unappreciated.
“I think our energy and our effort is really good, always trying to be playing our best, even if we’re not playing so well, just keep going at it,” Sebastian Chavez, junior, said.
The team wrapped up the regular playing season and advanced to regionals. They played one round and put up a good fight against Naperville Central.
“They are really thinking ahead; our mental focus has been pretty good” Fitzgerald, said.
The team played hard all season, growing not only as players but also creating bond that was unmatchable
“I think we’ve been in better shape in just about everyone we’ve played, and that really makes a difference,’’ Fitzgerald said.