The leadership of the seniors has led up to a strong season. photo by Rosie Fall
Thomas Jefferson Varsity boys’ soccer has built a positive community which is reflected in their games.
TJ Varsity boys’ soccer has shrunk in numbers but grown in other ways. The TJ community has shown up for the team, which has greatly impacted performance and morale. The supportive atmosphere has contributed to their record of nine wins and four losses.
This year, John Cassidy took over coaching the team. Cassidy has coached for over 30 years and he brings a deep love for the game and a commitment to helping players develop their potential and grow as people. Cassidy has coached all over the world, which gives him a unique coaching strategy. He believes that coaching strategy depends on the type of player and their skill level. This year, the team is very skilled. Since Cassidy has coached all over the world the team runs differently than a traditional high school soccer team. Usually, there are multiple team captains, but at TJ, Senior Dylan Beal is the only team captain. Beal is vocal on the field, which helps the team to succeed, and he’s a very strong leader. His main goal is to be respectful and polite to referees and other teams and set a strong example for the rest of the team.
The team had four seniors last year and they now have 13 seniors. The growth in seniors has also brought in a major change in the environment of the team and community around them. Cashian Neuhausel said, “The senior class has changed the culture of what it means to play soccer.” Neushusel and Beal have noticed that this year people are showing up and supporting the team because they enjoy watching. The huge amount of support helps the players feel more confident and which the team believes increases wins.
The seniors have also created strong bonds among team members. They make sure to show support to the younger players in order for them to feel like they’re truly a part of the team. With this new sense of community, the team is able to come together and improve on the field. The team has worked above and beyond to show their core values of hard work, teamwork and perseverance on and off the field. As a result of this, Beal said “This year has been substantially greater than last year, probably has been our best season.” The team is playing better than ever due to their strong bonds. The team has had a tremendous amount of support from administrators, peers, teammates, and their coach. Even though the season is coming to an end, Neuhausel believes that this was a special season and that the boys will continue to show up for each other.
