Our Cy Ranch boys soccer program has had a rough couple of years since the school’s opening. The teams our school has featured have had plenty of college-level talent, but the program has only featured one playoff team: last year’s squad. This year’s team hoped to start a streak of playoff appearances that will last over multiple years.

Our Mustangs hoped to continue to build on last year’s success with the help of a majority-senior starting 11. Counting the starters and the bench, our boys soccer team has 17 seniors in total.

“Having all of these seniors has helped us out a lot,” senior Josh Croft said. “We’ve been able to grow a strong bond over the years and that has helped us become successful.”

The team got off to a promising start with a 1-0 win against Jersey Village to put them at the top of the district table. Cy Ridge was their next opponent and they were proven to be the better team on that night, as our Mustangs trailed for most of the game and eventually lost 3-2.

They made up for that loss by winning three straight games behind consecutive clean sheets by senior goalie Blake Lieberman. Over the next six games though, the team was only able to win three as they accumulated three wins, two ties, and one loss. The teams current record sits at 7-2-2 which has given them 24 points. Despite a rough patch for the team, our boys in blue have already clinched a playoff spot with a few games left, but they still have to play for seeding.

“We feel a tremendous amount of pressure with it being our senior year,” Croft said. “Our fans only expect the best.”

This year’s teams has met expectations and exceeded quite a few of them. With two games left, they hope to ascend to the top of the table with all eyes on them. Ranch has not had a single team eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this year and it doesn’t seem like boys soccer will break the trend.

With a back line headed by seniors Craig Drozdowski, Jackson Gerow, Cameron Townes, and junior Dustin Morse, opposing teams have been having trouble just getting shots in. The offense has been working out some kinks, but have benefited greatly from their new addition to the team, senior Brandon Marion. When the team is gelling and working like a well-oiled machine, they look impossible to beat, like they were in the game against Langham Creek.

Senior soccer super-fan Ben Parkinson believes that “there is a great amount of talent on the team and if everyone continues to give 100% effort, then no one will be able to beat them.”