Varsity Soccer Captains Q&A

As the Eagles open their 2020 Varsity Soccer season Tuesday evening at Catholic Memorial, we took a few moments to talk soccer and school with our 4 senior soccer captains: Anatoliy Berezyuk, Oseche Buliro, Aidan Greene, and Jack Studley.

Q1: How has the school year started for you in our Hybrid Model, with the week on and week off schedule? What do you like about it, and what difficulties, if any, have come up? (A. Berezyuk & O. Buliro)

Anatoliy: “It is easier to adapt and really focus on what is in front of us. Soccer has made this hectic time of year seem more normal.”
Oseche: “I think the hybrid model is a lot better than the full remote. Each week has its own advantages, and then it is difficult to focus at home, and difficult to be super social at school.”

Q2: How has the college search process evolved for you with many colleges not allowing on campus visits? (A. Greene & J. Studley)

Aidan: “The college search process has gotten more complicated with the spread of COVID. Most campuses have resorted to hosting info sessions and interviews on Zoom, along with most visits being done on-line through self guided tours.”
Jack: “Although I’d rather be on college campuses, it has turned to strictly virtual visits, and although we don’t get a sense of the on-campus feel, it is better than nothing.”

Q3: As soccer captains, how great is it to be back to on the field with your teammates playing a fall sport? Has it made you appreciate the sport more? (A. Berezyuk & O. Buliro)

Anatoliy: “Being one of the sports that is still playing, it is giving me hope for the rest of the year. It has been great to play soccer even with these new restrictions. It made me appreciate the sport more, and it is truly great to see my team get on the field and do what we love.”
Oseche: “It’s great to be back on the field with our team for the last time and you have to be grateful we even got a season.”

Q4: With all of the modifications this year made in the sport of soccer, have you seen an adjustment to your style of play in order to accommodate these rule changes? (A. Greene & J. Studley)

Aidan: “I’d say the biggest change in our style is that we’ve started to focus more on building up our offense by playing one or two touch soccer. Because heading and throw-ins have been banned, we can’t have long crosses and set pieces just launched into the box anymore. Our main focus now is quickly finding passes to build an attack, and that with the technically skilled team we’ve got, we can make these adjustments to our advantage.”
Jack: “The biggest change is no contact. It isn’t easy to adapt as we are a team that tends to play aggressive. We also have to get used to playing with masks, which is not an easy change. The whole game has changed, but I am happy we have a season.”

Q5: What advice do you have for our freshmen class as they navigate the start of their high school career during a pandemic and our Hybrid Model? (All 4 Captains)

Anatoliy: “The advice I have for freshmen is to be grateful for every moment because you never know what can change. Get involved in everything that you can because of those relationships that you build here.”
Oseche: “I would say put yourself out there even more because this year is even harder to make new friends. Start the school year on the right foot with good grades.”
Aidan: “Keep a positive attitude. The precautions and safety measures put into place are new for everyone, and it is hard to get used to them so quickly. A lot of stuff is out of our control. so taking advantage of the time we have in school and appreciating the fact that we are back on campus at all is key for dealing with the situation.”
Jack: “Make the most out of what you can. I would say join a club or a sport and stay involved. It is the best thing to do to maintain that social aspect while you are in school.”