Breaking down City High’s soccer team

IOWA CITY - Check out the position profiles for the top-ranked City High boys' soccer team.

GOALIES

Standing at the far end of the field, goalkeepers Daniel Goldenstein and Sam Tomek are the last line of defense for the Little Hawks. They hope they won't have to make a play, but must make sure those few plays won't put the team in an unfavorable position.

'It's about 80, and we have a good team, so more like 95 percent of the time completely boring, and then 5 percent of the time very exciting,” said Goldenstein, a senior. 'It's a really transparent position, because if you mess up, everyone is gonna notice, there's no just kind of shrugging it off, because it's gonna affect the entire game.”

In addition to having to prevent goals from being scored against the Little Hawks, goaltenders also have to sacrifice their bodies for the team at times.

'I think our biggest contribution to the team is just putting our bodies on the line,” Goldenstein said. 'When there's a scuffle in the box, and the ball is loose, you really just got to jump down on it, even if a striker's kicking where your head is gonna be.”

Backup goalie Sam Tomek, a sophomore, agrees the position is scary because it receives a lot of attention, which puts extra pressure on the goalie.

'(Playing goalkeeper is) extremely scary, because if you screw up, it's a goal,” Tomek said.

Despite last year's loss in the first round of the state tournament, Goldenstein said he has high expectations for both himself and the team as a whole.

'I think we're going to see a similar season to last year, with the exception of a more satisfactory finish in state,” he said. 'I think last year, we had the team to do it, but when it came down to it, it didn't work out for us. This year, we have the talent, we have the coaching staff, we've been training really hard. I think this year, we are going to progress much farther in the state tournament.”

DEFENDERS

Standing in the back, concentrating on the play, directing traffic to prevent goals.

For the Little Hawk defenders, this is a rewarding job.

'Playing as a defender is sometimes grueling but very rewarding, because we have the most responsibility,” Scott Tribbey said. 'People don't always see that we have to kind of clean up when our team loses the ball. It's our responsibility to always direct the team because we see the whole field.”

The defenders are an experienced group, with senior captains Tribbey and Adam Nicholson both playing center back. In contrast to the leadership in the middle, the Little Hawks have younger players on the outside - sophomore Rasmus Schlutter and freshman Jackson Meyer.

The defenders also can provide an offensive spark. Nicholson led the team in scoring last season with nine goals and Tribbey was right behind with six.

Having experience in the middle of the defensive line helps the younger players.

'There's definitely more defensive responsibility, but with having such experienced players as Scott and Adam playing center back, there's also a lot of good leadership and communication,” Schlutter said.

All athletes need to improve, and the defenders are no different. Tribbey said that practices are intense, and are very important to the team's success.

'Individually I need to work on some technical things, but as a team we need to keep focusing on our tactical discipline and that all comes from practice,” he said. 'So our practices need to improve, too.”

The players think that experience will be a big factor this year, and will help lead the team to be successful in big games.

'Adam and I in the back are a good foundation for the team and our experience I think sends a message to other teams, especially because everyone knows Adam,” Tribbey said.

MIDFIELDERS

The Little Hawk midfielders are some of the most vocal players on the field, responsible for communication in the middle of the field. They are constantly trying to set up teammates.

'Making sure your teammates are in position and organized is very important and, often times, the midfielders are responsible for that,” starting midfielder Anton Buri said. '(We are) always striving to make (ourselves) available for a pass and to help the team transition from one area of the field to another.”

For the midfielders, running and communication are the most important part. They take a big role in setting up the team.

The Little Hawks have a lot of options at midfielder. They have 11 players on the roster listed at midfielder. Senior captain Peter Larsen and juniors Mitchell McCarthy, Victor Brown-Rodriguez and Collin O'Meara are the four players that are truly midfielders. The Little Hawks have seven other players who can play midfielder or other positions.

'Having depth and talent in the midfield is great because it keeps everyone competitive,” Buri said. 'It's also helpful to have a player who can come in off the bench and be just as productive as the player they replaced. Having fresh legs can change the game.”

The Little Hawks also hope to build upon their experience. Brown-Rodriguez, O'Meara, Buri and Larsen all played on varsity last year.

'Tactically it's very fortunate that we have good players that can fill those midfield spots,” Brown-Rodriguez said. 'Especially the way we play, since we are a team that loves to keep possession of the ball, with quick and short passes.”

FORWARDS

The forwards dribble the ball downfield, past defenders, and are the main offensive weapons for the Little Hawks.

'Playing forward is tough in some aspects but it can be easy in other aspects,” said junior Henry Mosher. 'There can be games where you might only touch the ball once in a half, but you still have to stay high on the field and make runs for your teammates.

'It's nice to play forward because you don't have to run the whole field like a midfielder would.”

One big strength for City High this year is the team's depth, especially for the forwards. City has senior John Havugarurema and juniors Sarrive Rukakiza and Mosher as the returning forwards. Experience is something the forwards hope they can use to their advantage.

The Little Hawks are expected to switch their lineup this year, with a deep bench and a lot of players who can play multiple positions. The Little Hawks have five true forwards listed on the roster this year, including many other players that play either forward or midfielder.

'Our bench is really deep, which allows us to sub whenever someone looks tired,” Mosher said. 'This lets whoever is on the field to go hard for as long as they can.”

Mosher hopes to make a run for the state championship this year.

'I'm really excited that we have a great team, and a really deep bench,” he said. 'I'm excited for our probability of winning a state championship, I think we have a really good chance of doing it this year.”