Late in the season, the South men’s soccer team has a record of 9-4-4 According to head coach Paul Agombar, the team’s unevenness tells this season’s story.“The team has been inconsistent,” Agombar said. “We have played well against the good teams, and we haven’t played well against the teams that we were expected to beat.”
Agombar attributes the inconsistencies to a shift in focus.
“The team is much more focused on the game plan against a good team,” Agombar said. “This is because they realize [they] need to execute to beat a good team. I think against the weaker teams they feel that their talent will just get them through without playing…it hasn’t.”
Despite negatives, the team is pressing forward. Senior captain Stephen Lee believes that the team’s success in late-season competetions and the playoffs will depend on its focus.
“We really need to focus on playing well throughout the whole game,” Lee said.
After having the extra pressure of living up to last year’s expectations, the team cites confidence and extra time as the driving forces behind a playoff run. Senior defender John Hudson knows that the team’s performance can only get better.
“Individually we are a great team,” Hudson said. “It’s just a matter of time before we get together.”
Junior midfielder Kosta Brkovic, the team’s leading scorer, reiterated Agombar and Hudson’s sentiments, believing inconsistency to be part of the growing process.
“The season hasn’t really been what we have imagined,” said Brvokic. “It’s been disappointing but the results can only get better.”
The Titans’ Sept. 15 matchup against Ridgewood was the first in a string of victories. A late goal by junior forward Michael Hanches put the Titans up 3-2, the first in an eight-game streak in which they did not lose.
After the Ridgewood game, the Titans continued to win, defeating the Evanston Wildkits 4-1 before playing Waukegan. The Titans defeated the Bulldogs, who went on to win the Central Suburban League South for the first time in history, by a score of 3-1.
Senior captain Ethan Boner attributed the change in performance to a work ethic that he feels only Glenbrook South has.
“We may not be the best team, but we are the hardest working team,” Boner said. “[When] other teams [in the] 78th minute are tired, we are still going hard.”
According to Boner, the team is optimistic and focused for a playoff push with the same drive and motivation that has aided them all season.
“Confidence in front of the net, making smart shots, connecting passes and looking for outside players to go [are the important factors],” Boner said. “[If we do that] we will be looking strong going into playoffs.”
Hudson believes that the team’s record does not do it justice and believes teams may underestimate them based on it.
“Anybody that is looking at our record really can’t judge who we are,” Hudson said. “This team is definitely underrated.”
The Titans will next play Zion Benton Oct. 6 in a charity game benefitting the Cystic Fibrosis Institute. Following this game, the Titans will head into the playoffs as the seventh seed Oct. 16.
