From watching his older brothers play soccer as a kid to playing it himself in high school, WTHS boys soccer head Shane Snyder had always dreamed of having a team win the state championship.That dream came true last year when the Minutemen took the Group IV state title.

“Winning last year was definitely one of the greatest moments in my life,” Coach Shane Snyder said.
However, that championship did not come easy – it came only after a build-up of several years of ceaseless effort and determination.

“Winning the title took a lot of practice and chemistry between the players,” said Snyder.
The Minutemen hope to make this season just as rewarding as the last. With a record last year of 26-1, the team believes another year of hard work can help them continue on the path to success.

While the team lost many talented seniors last year, Snyder is confident that the remaining players make for a dedicated group.

“Last year we had a lot of kids who could score a lot of goals,” Snyder commented. “This year we’ll have to be a bit more creative when it comes to that.”

The coach is also counting on this year’s fourteen current seniors to bring their past experiences to the younger players.

“We really need all the upperclassmen to step up and help the younger players,” Roscioli said. “We’ve lost a lot of guys, but we’re picking up and getting to know the whole program.”

It is not only the seniors supplying leadership. Players like sophomore Eddie Rainey ‘18 have stepped up on defense alongside senior defenders Mike Roscioli ‘16 and Marc Murgo ‘16.

“We also have a program-wide practice we do that allows both the freshmen and varsity teams to work together,” senior utility player George Charalabidis ‘16 said. “It really helps the younger players get a feel for what it’ll be like in coming years.”

Along with leadership, open-mindedness and communication also makes for a solid team like the Minutemen.

“Communication on the field is definitely something we need to work on,” Snyder commented. “It’s good to communicate at school and in the locker room. but we need to get better at talking more on the field itself.”

Charalabidis agrees players need to be able to listen to each other on the field to better adjust how they play to fit changing game situations.

The Minutemen jumped out to a 2-0-1 start.. They tied Cherokee 1-1 in their first game, then beating Cherry Hill West 4-1 the next day with John Dalesandro ‘17 and Travis Yates ‘16 each scoring goals and Collin Yeiter ‘16 and Ryan Logar ‘16 having two assists each. They then beat Eastern 2-1 with Charalabidis and Murgo scoring goals.

Charalabidis felt that those first three games revealed a lot about his teammates.“I think our games with Cherokee and Cherry Hill showed that we have depth and that we can really bring it, even if it’s the next day,” Charalabidis said. “And Eastern was a comeback win, which shows that we don’t give up.”
They are showing growth and character, but will the Minutemen make it to the state finals for a second consecutive year?

“It’ll be hard, but anything is possible,” Roscioli said.

Both the coach and players are in agreement that the Minutemen will no doubt remain a laudable team with a bright future ahead of them if they continue to display the leadership and devotion they have thus far exemplified.