Despite a strong two-win start, boys’ soccer has not won a single match in the last five; they’ve struggled on both defense and offense, and the loss of players is of concern for the Patriots.

The most recent win was against Damascus, with the final score being 3-1. Senior Kioko Kibua said that this win was the best display of the team’s performance, and he thinks that the team will get back to playing at this high a level. Through 80 minutes of the game, the team was able to provide pressure on Damascus, which led to scoring opportunities for the Patriots. “When we got the ball, the eagerness to score motivated the entire team to give it their all,” Kibua said.

While it was an exciting one, since then, nothing has gone well for the Patriots. Senior Shreyas Ganeshan went down with a hamstring tear and is expected to return for the final game of the season. Senior Langston Fabiyi is no longer playing for the team. He had four goals through the first two games of the season. The game against Quince Orchard on Sept. 30 resulted in a 3-1 loss for the Patriots, with an even bigger blow: senior captain Kevin Sun went down with a concussion. This alone has hurt the team’s performance and morale, as these three players were among the top performers. “The biggest challenge was losing some of our players because of injuries,” junior Haim Mikowski said.

The next two games were against a well-rounded Whitman team and a gritty Bethesda Chevy Chase team. The Patriots’ offense struggled, and the defense was another point of issue as they lost both of these games 4-0. As they continued to navigate through the injuries, players like Mikowski, who was originally the goalkeeper, aimed to fill in for Ganeshan at centerback. This change left junior Lorenzo Ribulotta to be the starting keeper and other players to fill in for injuries.

In the last two games against Quince Orchard and Churchill, the Patriots have managed to keep the score within two goals, and have begun to produce on offense as they scored once against Quince Orchard. As they play under the lights tonight, the team looks to gain traction and start winning games. The last games have been tough for the Patriots, and it has taken a major toll on the morale of the team. They started off strong, but with the losses, it has been hard to maintain this positivity. “We just need to trust each other and win these next divisional games together,” Kibua said.

Ganeshan is a captain, and while he has not been able to play, he is trying to help the team in other ways. During practice, he comes and watches, and even on games, he stays by the players and helps them make plays during the game. Ganeshan said that he has noticed a lack of communication between players, so he has tried to assist in starting clear communication. “[I’m] talking from the sidelines to players and helping organize the team, whether telling them they have a runner or to drop back,” Ganeshan said.

For the rest of the season, the team has goals set in place for each other and themselves. Kibua said one of his top priorities is to go into every game at 110 percent and to bring intensity that can spread amongst his teammates. Like any high school team, their top goal is to win every game and go deep into the playoffs. They can do this by approaching every practice as a game in order to bring focus. “If we maintain [intensity,] I have no doubt that we could win our school’s first boys’ soccer divisional title over 12 years,” Kibua said.

The next game is at home tonight at 7:15 p.m., followed by a game on Oct. 8 at Watkins Mill at 7:15 p.m..