Boys Soccer Prepares To Grind Out Wins

Boys soccer gained a reputation last year for being a gritty team that could stack up against anybody, no matter the odds. Head coach Brian Immekus hopes to continue their fighting spirit in his third season. He is joined by his assistant coach, Matt O’Dell.

Sullivan will kick off the season on their new home turf against Washington on Sept. 3 at 5 p.m.

Immekus says there will be “big shoes to fill” with the absence of their four senior captains from last year. Despite this, he is looking forward to seeing senior Kaden Smith (midfielder/forward), juniors Alex Toews (goalkeeper) and Aiden Lawrence (defender) “being strong leaders on the field.”

Immekus described the 2024 varsity roster as nearly identical to last season’s. He said they are “just a year older and more experienced, which is great.”

Sullivan’s head coach is also excited to develop freshman midfielder Ben Tanner, the brother of junior teammate Josiah.

Immekus says his team’s goal is to continue playing their “best soccer” into districts. He explained, “The season will be full of ups and downs as we deal with a tough schedule, injuries, and other obstacles, but if we are healthy and peaking at the end of October, I like our chances to be a tough out come districts.”

Immekus looks most forward to Pacific and Union at home for the slate of games this year, predicting them to be “the most intense matchups.” He said, “With them both being a class size larger than us, it’s a great measuring stick for us to see how we’re competing with them. If we’re holding our own versus those two schools, we feel we should be able to compete with most teams that may come our way in district play.”

Sullivan aims to improve their season record in 2024 and win more close battles while maintaining their resilient attitude. “Soccer is a funny game. You can be playing great, competitive soccer and lose by a goal, which we found out too many times last year,” Immekus explained. “Obviously, you want to improve on your win total from a year ago, but if my team is competing hard with the right attitude and mindset, I’ll always be proud of that. Those are things we can control.”