While the soccer season is still young, many Stevens fans are wondering what  the boys' team will look like.  Last year, it was a tale of two teams.  Stevens went into the state tournament ranked seventh, but finished second. Randy McKee, Stevens' coach, is in his third year coaching this particular group of boys and is certainly looking to repeat the success of last year’s team.  But Stevens can’t count on catching lightening in a bottle twice and is looking to put themselves in a good position going into the state tournament. 

    The goalies are a strong point of this team with some considering them two of the top five goalies in the state.  McKee has a very tough decision to make in deciding which one to start, but he has postponed that decision by splitting the game time between them. Either way this squad will have an elite keeper, but competition will be fierce with both keepers needing to keep  level heads when the team is behind. 

    In contrast, the rest of the defense is somewhat inexperienced.  Stevens is returning only one consistent starting defender and he is playing midfield.  While the line does not contain any seniors, there are two solid juniors and a promising sophomore.  Despite these players, the team had a shaky start which comes with the inexperience.  The progression of this defense will be key if Stevens is going to experience any success in the upcoming season.  

While the defense may struggle a bit, the midfield is the power of this team.  Four of the five starters have all played together since they were eleven and most of them are now seniors, with the talent to control and dominate games.  Some are good at possessing while others possess elite speed.  So far they have failed to create the necessary unit to earn Stevens some wins against better teams in the state and that is a huge area of concern.  Since scoring is key to winning, a group this talented needs to both score and create more scoring opportunities more frequently in the midfield attack.

Unfortunately, the strikers are unpredictable.  All of them have enough talent to win a game single-handedly, but they tend to disappear for stretches during a game.  They either make plays where the defense of the opposition drops their mouths in astonishment, or plays where McKee shakes his head in frustration.  If they can play consistently they could make all state and lead one of the best offenses in the state, but if they disappear it could spell an early exit from the state tournament.

    This team has the potential to win the state tournament, but could miss it completely.  How each group develops in the system that McKee finally decides to leave them in will be instrumental to the team’s success.  They will face their share of challenges, but this team has the talent to overcome those and do what no Stevens' boys soccer team has ever done.  Win it all.