OA Boys soccer recently lost their home playoff matchup to Walpole, no thanks to the refs, and most likely the 40 year old man that Walpole had in goal. OA started off strong with a goal in the first half but Walpole soon scored after. The game was then stalemate for what seemed like the entire game until in 79th minute when Walpole scored the game-winning goal. That was just backstory, this article is not about that. This article is about the many people who made what many predicted was not going to in the pre-season.
Niko Byron said it the best as he said “Well, we cannot be worse than Football that is for sure.” and as a kid on the team, I agree. However, what he truly meant was that his squad had potential for the season and they started off very strong, not recording a loss until their 8th game. When that happened, I knew that this OA soccer team was special as it was another year that was very underclassman heavy as only 5 out of the 11 players who started on the pitch were seniors. OA needed a team to succeed and a lot of people found that in boy’s soccer.
People said this was a rebuilding a year, or that this year was worth nothing as the senior class leaving was extraordinary, this was the first time in 4 years that OA soccer did not make the State Championship, winning it in 2016. However, they disproved doubters, including myself. I am proud of this team and you should be too. I want to thank the senior for all of their hard work and wish them luck for their future!