Medfield -
Expectations for the Medfield boys soccer team weren’t terribly high last season, as the
Warriors dealt with the loss of 11 players from the 2006 squad. With just four
seniors on last year’s team, Medfield entered the year simply hoping to qualify
for its third straight sectional tournament berth.
The Warriors did a lot more
than qualify, however, as they went 13-0-3 in the regular season, won the
Tri-Valley League title for the first time in 26 years and advanced to the
semifinals of the sectional tournament.
“Last season we were very
young so we thought of it as a rebuilding year,” said head coach
An undefeated regular season
is hardly rebuilding, so Heim isn’t shy about his expectations for this year’s
experienced group.
“We have very high
expectations. We have a lot of seniors returning and hopefully we can make it a
step further than we did last year,” Heim said.
The Warriors will once
again be led by reigning TVL most valuable player Nick Nowak, who has been the
team’s starting sweeper since his freshman year.
“Nick is the anchor of the
team. Since he’s been in the back, we’ve been tournament bound,” Heim said. “He’s
big, strong and soccer is the only sport he plays.”
While Nowak is clearly one
of the best players in the area, he is surrounded by standouts in the Medfield
backfield. The Warriors return their entire starting defense from last season,
including Jay Fischer and lacrosse all-stars Brian Foster and Jake Smith.
Senior goalie Eric Boole was a key part of the team’s 11 shutouts last season
and returns for another year in net.
“If Eric had seen more
shots I think he could have been up there for (TVL goalie of the year)
consideration,” Heim said. “The defense was so good he just didn’t face that
many shots.”
Nowak, Boole
and Andrew Day will serve as team co-captains this season. Heim has been
thrilled with their leadership throughout the preseason.
“They’ve been outstanding.
I give them things to do and they get done well. They know that because of what
we did last year we have a target on our back,” Heim said.
Day was an outside
midfielder last season and will move to the middle of the field this year,
where he will serve as an intermediary between the offense and defense.
Offensively, the Warriors
are led by sophomore Aidan Harrison, who tallied five game-winning goals last
season.
“Aidan is small, but he
just has incredible skills. It’s unbelievable how the ball sticks to his feet,”
Heim said. “He doesn’t have overwhelming speed or strength but he finds a way
to get it done.”
Senior Meelad
Etezadi provides a stark contrast to
“Meelad
has incredible speed and is very physical. He’s not as skilled as Aidan but it
makes a really nice balance,” Heim said.
Medfield opens its season
this week at Holliston, and Heim is hopeful the Warriors will get off on the
right foot.
“We really are going to
take it one game at a time. We don’t want to look too far ahead,” Heim said