With the season more than halfway through, the Mayo Boys Soccer team has already faced tough challenges, made key adjustments, and proven their resilience. Mayo started the season with a game against Lakeville South. Going into the game, there was a bit of uncertainty as Head Coach Timothy Jennings was trying a new formation from last year with a group that had lost a lot of seniors. Despite this, the Spartans were able to defeat the tough Lakeville South team 2-1 with goals from captain Amani Gupta and Nate Rea. This opening win was very important, as Coach Jennings says, “it sets the tone for a positive season. It makes us realize, like, yep, we can play a different style because we came out and played in a different formation than we had played last year, and yet we were still very successful on the field.”
Finn Slama runs down the wing to set up another attack. Photo Courtesy of Jamie Bumsted
Unfortunately, in their next game, they lost to Rosemont 0-1 to a goal scored in the final minute. It was a tough loss, but Coach Jennings realized what formation would work best for this team. He decided to switch from a 4-5-1 to a 3-5-2. The team seemed to respond well to this change and went on to beat Northfield 4-1, battle out Lakeville North to a 3-3 draw, and take a commanding 5-0 victory over Mankato West.
Tensions were high for Mayo’s cross-town rival game against John Marshall. Neither team was able to walk away with a win, however, as Henry Collura spectacularly saved a penalty to help Mayo to a 0-0 draw. It was disappointing as Mayo wanted to win the derby game, but as Coach Jennings pointed out, “I think it was a game that showed us we can dig deep, and we can play in hard games…it gives us things to continue to work on, and I think we’ve gone back to practice and kept working on it. So hopefully we’re a better team now than we were when we played them the first time, and if we get to see them again, it’s going to be a different game.” The Spartans were able to bounce back from their draw and win three times in one week, beating Winona 3-0, Farmington 4-2, and Red Wing 5-0.
Coach Jennings discusses the 1st half and the tactics for the rest of the match. Photo Courtesy of Jamie Bumsted
The team then traveled away for a game against Mankato East. They went down 1-0 to an early goal by Mankato East. Needing a goal, Jennings turned to Anton Wolf, who had spent most of the season up to that point locking down opposition on defense. However, shortly after being moved to striker, Wolf bagged a brace with the goals only a minute apart. Thanks to his goals, the Spartans went into the 2nd half up 2-1. Mankato East was able to equalize a little in the half thanks to a penalty kick. Mayo were quick to respond with Finn Slama scoring a banger from 40 yards out to put the Spartans up 3-2. Unfortunately, Mankato East scored another penalty to end the game 3-3. However, this game helped to show one of the biggest strengths of the team this year. Players have been stepping up to play in a lot of different positions. Anton Wolf moving to striker is just one of many examples this season.
Speaking on the subject, Coach Jennings said, “First half of the season, we’ve lost a lot of players from last year. So we were trying to figure out the best fits for players in new positions. And I think we’ve been doing that. We’ve been experimenting a lot more than we did last year. And the ability of a lot of our players to be able to play in multiple positions… I think players have been really able to react well to that regardless of where we’re playing them.”
Anton Wolf cuts across a retreating defender. Photo Courtesy of Jamie Bumsted
After a narrow defeat to a tough Faribault team, the Spartans bounced back with a thrilling 5-4 win over Owatonna. The high-scoring match once again saw Anton Wolf make an impact up top, scoring another 2 goals as a striker. With momentum building, Mayo turned their focus to their much-anticipated derby against Century.
Sam Thompson prepares to take a game-equalizing free kick with 2 seconds remaining. Photo Courtesy of Tyler Goble
Going into the game, Century were on top of the section standings with John Marshall and Mayo following close behind. With a win, Mayo would be able to move to second place. With Century and John Marshall yet to play each other, Mayo would have a chance to top the section. The team went down 1-0 a little way into the first half, but Mayo kept playing hard and was able to win a free kick just outside the box with two seconds left in the half.
Standing over the ball was Senior captain Sam Thompson. To tie the game, Sam blasted the ball into the top corner to end the half with an equalizer. Pumped with momentum during halftime, the Spartans were determined to come away with a win. Although Century scored to go up 2-1, Anton Wolf did well to win a penalty that Amani Gupta coolly tucked away into the back of the net. With the game tied 2-2, the Spartans kept on searching for the winner. They found it in a beautiful run and cross from Anton Wolf into the path of Davian Perales, who finished it off into the back of the net. The Spartan defense was able to hold strong for the last 10 minutes of the game to hand the Spartans the win over their rivals, Century.
Davian Perales celebrates the winning goal against Century. Photo Courtesy of Tyler Goble
While players like Anton Wolf and Amani Gupta have made headlines with goals and assists, much of Mayo’s success has also come from consistent, unglamorous work in the back line. Players like Trygve Nelson and Ryan Vomhof have stepped up game after game to shut down dangerous attackers and help keep the team in tight matches. Speaking about the defense this season, captain Trygve Nelson said, “I think the thing that has made our defense so strong this year is not just our skills of the players in the back line but also our attitudes. Ryan and I have great chemistry, having played together for years. Also Yayha, Henry, Ryan and I are all very positive, making sure to build each other up, along with all being able to take advice to work on improving our game.”
As the Spartans go into their last week of the regular season, they hope to get wins over Albert Lea and Austin to gain momentum for the sections. Coach Jennings is hoping to lead the Spartans to state for the fourth time in five years.
