Learning from Defeat: Underclassmen Plan To Build A New Legacy

by Mevlad Duric and Luca Alfieri Ianucci '26
The Wethersfield boys soccer team took a heartbreaking defeat in the state championship at Trinity Health Stadium to Simsbury last Sunday night. The game was action packed that finished tied at 2-2 and ended in penalties, where Wethersfield was defeated.

This being the end of the season seniors leave the underclassmen with a task to handle next season there are 16 seniors leaving the program meaning the team will be looking completely different.

With two starters returning who are Junior Damian Sardo, and Junior Augustus Spaeder; the team is looking to be completely rebuilt. Many key players are leaving, like senior striker Tarik Alihodzic and position and year Ramo Ahmetovic. Ramo was crucial in the backline and always dangerous on setpieces, while Tarik was the goal scoring machine and was always linking up with junior Damian Sardo. 
 
Many upcoming players that were on varsity didn’t get a chance to play this season will get a chance to shine next season. One of those players is sophomore Yavuz Ozdemir.

Yavuz Ozdemir was on varsity this season, but had seniors ahead of him playing. Next year, he is going to be one of the main attackers and targets for Wethersfield. “I look forward to next season because I’m ready to play and show what I have.”

 He continued, “Next season I'm expecting us to not gel like this year at the start because it is a completely new team, it will take us time.”

With so many seniors leaving there is a real question if they will have team chemistry and be able to make another push for the state title.

Ozdemir went on to say, “At the end of the season, I feel like the team will be at a better spot than where it will be at the start of the season. The state run we don’t know of course we want to be confident that we can be back in the championship. It is too early to tell because we don’t know how the other teams look around us.” 

The team will prepare by playing at clubs over the winter and during the summer they will have captain practices and summer league at FSA.

We hope the team next year finds success and finishes the unfinished job of winning the state championship.

​

---