“This is like, the tightest team I’ve ever played with. I love everyone on the team, and our chemistry is crazy. We have high hopes for this year” said senior captain Theo Mairo.
West Orange Boys Soccer is rebounding from a disappointing 2023–24 season. Despite having a lot of individual talent, the team as a whole would struggle in the final moments of the game. Last season, the team had an 11-8-1 record.
The boys are 7-3 so far this year. As a result of the team dynamic.“I think just because we’ll trust everybody, and we’ll trust the decisions they make, and that’ll kind of just help us play, like, fluid” said senior captain Kyle Cassidy.
In addition to their exciting victory on September 27th over No. 10 Seton Hall Prep. The boys also won against Belleville and East Side in overtime because, despite the close games, they were able to win more easily in the end. They gave each other encouragement and the last energy needed to win the games.
After 28 years as a teacher at West Orange and 25 years as a coach, Doug Nevins is well-known and adored. He has the ability to correct the team’s weaknesses and provide the boys intensive pre- and in-season training so they can play to their best abilities. Freddie Christian, his smart and skilled assistant coach, will also aid in leading the team to success.
With captains Kyle Cassidy, Theo Mairo, Lucas Andrada, and Marcus Jackson leading the team, the freshmen have role models to aspire to and mentors to follow. It’s not just their skill and abilities with the ball. The secret to the team’s success is that they are able to guide them both on and off the field. They are not selfish and always act in the team’s best interests.
Without losing their cool, the boys hold each other accountable and make changes that benefit the team.
In 2022, this group took home a sectional title. Couch Doug thinks the team can win even more titles this year. He made a comparison between this team and his teams from 2015 and 2016. Doug explains, “The 2015 team won the sectional finals and went to the group four finals but lost to Washington Township. And then in 2016, they went to the sectional finals, and that was a close-knit group of kids, and they loved each other on or off the field.”
The future is bright for West Orange Boys Soccer. They are a cohesive and talented team. Join in the excitement as the team continues to represent West Orange proudly.
