The JV Boys soccer team went undefeated until Thursday, Sept. 19ts rescheduled DAC (Duneland Athletic Conference) game against the Chesterton Trojans, where they lost 1-0.

“It was a tough loss. We started off slow and into the game we started to pick up speed. If we had started off like that, we would have had a chance to win,” Brandon Hernandez (9) said.

As the coaches yelled for improvement and the opposing Chesterton team taunted the players, they progressed as a team throughout the game.

“Our effort was a little slow at first, but after a while we picked our speed up,” Eric Santiago (10) said.

The boys worked hard together as a team to push back the Trojans. Goalies Austin Chekaluk (10) and Jason Lionberg (9) blocked the opposing team’s attempts to score a goal.

“I thought we played well, but when they scored that goal, our defense fell apart,” Lionberg said.

The DAC game was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 18, but was cancelled due to lightning storms. The cancellation of Wednesday’s game disappointed midfielder Niko Vuckovic (10).

“It sucks because we were pumped up and ready to play Chesterton,” Vuckovic said while waiting for the call to play on Wednesday.

When all of the passes and blocks within the plays were not enough and the game was coming to a close, Coach Cory Juran switched up the players on the field.

“I would have put three forwards up in 15 minutes instead of three,” Juran said.

By the end of the game, the boys worked their hardest and now know what to change to win in their future games.

“The loss was pretty upsetting, but all it means is you have to work harder and it gives you something to improve on during practice,” Daniel Picioski (9) said.