Soccer season is here at Tallwood and the Boys Varsity Lions are looking forward to bouncing back from a rough 2022 season. 

 Last season, the Lions were 2-13. However, this season is different. The team is more improved with new goals set in mind.

 “I see the team in the regionals competing to win,” said sophomore center-back Marcus Baker. 

“The goal of any team is to make it to the 5A regional tournament. Outside of that larger goal, we set specific goals at the beginning of the season, most of which we are on track to surpass if we haven’t already. We have already scored more goals than in any previous season, we have had more assists than any previous season, and we have more shutouts than in any previous season,” said Head Coach Bradley Watahovich.

With the Lions picking up dominant wins against Manor and Franklin (twice), the boy’s varsity soccer team is looking forward while continuing to stay hot. “The season is going better than expected so far,” Baker added. 

“So far this season is the best one that I have had [even though it still is early] in my four years as the varsity coach at Tallwood. We have currently won three matches, which is the most single-season wins I have had with a THS soccer team since taking over in the 2019/2020 season,” said Coach Watahovich. 

With notable upcoming games against Bayside (5-2), Landstown (6-0), and Kellam (4-0), the Lions are looking to push forward to earn a top seed in the Beach Region. “The past games were kind of easy teams, the next couple of games are more challenging because the players in the other team have more skill than us and they are on a different level.” said senior right-wing Gamal Nasser. 

“The next stretch of games is very important. We have a difficult region with any one of the teams having a shot at a state championship. So we need to get points from draws and wins as much as possible. There is a tight race for the 8 regional spots [the top eight make the regional tournament] between a few schools where one game can make all the difference,” said Coach Watahovich, weighing in on why the next games are important.

Stacking up wins will be crucial for these Lions, especially with regional championship goals set in mind.