VARSITY

“We watched film on the other team and looked into who their best players are. We’re sleeping and eating right and preparing our bodies for the game. We also mentally prepared because it’s going to be a battle,” senior Alex Abazari said. Abazari plays right-wing and this is his second year on varsity and fourth year playing for Vandegrift. “My favorite part has been seeing my friends everyday and just working towards a common goal. These are my best friends that I’ve been with my whole life, so it’s just nice being together and having something we’re all trying to do.”

“We do film study every Monday and Thursday before the games, so we’re always scouting the other team and practice against however they play,” senior Rahul Gupta said. Gupta was on junior varsity for his first two years and moved up to varsity in junior year, where he plays center-defense. “We won all of our district games but lost one tournament game preseason and lost one scrimmage.”

“We watch film to get insight into the opposition team and then practice,” junior Finn Snyder said. As a goalkeeper, Snyder has been on the team since freshman year and made varsity in his sophomore year. “[Our game on Friday, Jan. 26] was a very intense 2-1 win, and it came down to the last minute.”

“In the long term, we want to win state, but right now we’re just focused on milestones along the way like district championship and going undefeated,” goalkeeper and senior Daniel Manevich said. Manevich has been on the team since sophomore year and transitioned over to varsity this year. “My favorite part of soccer is probably team dinners just because everyone is there and it’s really fun. When it comes to the team, we think of each other as a a family.”

JUNIOR VARSITY

“We’ve prepared [for today] by working on set plays yesterday and making sure we’re mindfully ready for the game,” junior Lucas Roberto said. Roberto plays center-back and this is his third year being on the soccer team. “The best part about soccer is probably developing good relationships.”

“I’ve been on the Vandegrift team all three years, but I’ve played soccer my whole life,” junior Ethan Young said. Young plays as a defender and scored a goal on his last game against Manor on Jan. 23. “[In preparation for games,] we play every single day and stay conditioned, run all the time, and talk together about tactics.”

“We’ve ran a lot and worked out a lot [in efforts] to win every game,” junior Julien Hazard said. Hazard plays as a center midfielder and has been on the team since his freshman year. “We haven’t lost [yet], we beat Manor 3-0 on Tuesday.”