A Season of Shutouts
Courtesy NJ Advance Media
October 13, 2015
Every September brings the beginning of autumn and the start of a new school year. Before classes begin, tryouts and practices for Delbarton’s fall sports teams get into full swing. Now, as students transition into October, the Wave soccer team looks to continue its excellent start to the season. With their own Invitational Tournament Championship under their belts, the Green and White hold one of the top rankings nationally, placing sixth as of September 30th. What’s just as impressive is that the Green Wave has gotten off to an undefeated 10-0 start without letting up a goal to any opponent. Crucial to this amazing statistic is junior goalie Santiago Robertson-Lavalle. He explained how the Green Wave managed to achieve these amazing results thus far:
“The biggest thing is that we defend as a unit. Everyone plays a role. Every single player on the field has a responsibility when defending, and we work together to stop any counterattacks. As for the defensive line we have guys who contest for every 50/50 ball with our two captains in the center of our back line.”
Despite a big tournament win in front of a large home fan section, the Green Wave still have much soccer ahead of them. Top teams in the state, such as rivals Seton Hall Prep and Pingry, will be challenges for the soccer team down the road, and every player wearing the green and white will focus on doing his job so the team can finish this season they way they started it. Robertson-Lavalle expects the players to remain focused as he explains,
“We play for each other. As a goalkeeper I am able to see the field ahead of me, so the biggest help I can provide for my teammates is constant communication. Our experienced back line communicates within itself and the results have been great thus far. It is no surprise that captains Brian [Finn] and Jack [Kielty] are leaders on the team as they constantly communicate with others exceptionally well.”
Be sure to catch the next Green Wave soccer game this month! The schedule can be found at www.delbarton.org.