The New Trier boys soccer team is off to a fast start this season with a record of 6-1-2.
They began the season 5-0 despite a tough schedule including games against Schaumburg, Mather, Fremd, Buffalo Grove, and Wheeling. Senior forward and leading goal scorer Duncan Gill is pleased with his team’s success.
“The season has been going great so far. We have six wins one loss and two ties, and I’m happy with our start,” said Gill.
The Trevians suffered their first loss 4-2 on Sept. 4 against St. Charles East, a team ranked first in Illinois and sixth in the country.
“The game against St. Charles East was a close game and it really came down to the wire,” said midfielder and senior captain Jamey Minturn.
Despite never holding the lead, New Trier clawed their way back in the second half. They pulled within one score on two brilliant goals from Gill, but senior midfielder Colin Egerter’s effort to tie the game at 3 hit the crossbar.
St. Charles scored late in the second half on a free kick just out of the reach of senior goalie Jonathan Jaggard, who played well all game.
The next contest came at home on Sept. 6 against Rolling Meadows. New Trier cruised to a 5-0 victory, with goals by Gill, junior Spencer Farina, and sophomores Matt Gallo, Louis Shaw, and Michael McCue. Head Coach Wes Molyneaux was proud of his team’s effort.
“One of our strengths this year is our ability to score goals. We have a very good counter attack and we can score at anytime during the game,” said Molyneaux.
The Trevians had a much tougher test on Sept. 9, hosting Glenbrook North at home. Goals from Gill and Farina were enough to force a 2-2 draw. Their next conference game resulted in another draw, 1-1 against Highland Park.
“The game against Highland Park was a tough one because we dominated them for most of the game and outplayed them and we thought that we deserved the win, but we’re glad it’s not a loss,” said Gill.
With a talented and experienced team, the Trevians are looking forward to facing conference rivals Glenbrook South and Evanston. Evanston will travel to New Trier on Sept. 30, which is a highly anticipated game because of the tradition of the fire hydrant.
The hydrant has been a tradition between the two teams for 30 years, with the winning school painting it their school colors and the players signing it.
Evanston has held the hydrant for the past four years and New Trier is looking to get it back.
“I’m really looking forward to playing Evanston. It’s a huge rivalry and always a great game which I’m really excited to play in,” Gill said.
Although it is early in the season, the team is already looking ahead. The team has not won the Central Suburban conference since 2008, but Molyneaux is very optimistic for this year’s team.
“We have a lot of very tough teams in our conference. Most conference games are very physical and competitive games because of the rivalry that we have with the teams in our conference,” said Molyneaux.
Minturn embodies the cool and confident mindset of this team.
“I think that this team has a great shot at winning conference and contending for a state title this year,” said Minturn. “We’ve gotten off to a good start and I think that if we stay focused and play to our full potential, we can really make a deep run through the playoffs.”