Trojans play No. 1 seed Mayo tough

When you’re a No. 8 seed with only four wins playing a No. 1 seed with only one loss in the first round of the Section 1AA soccer tournament, expectations are not high.

But the New Prague Trojan boys soccer team came in with confidence - having played the Spartans to an overtime loss in September, and they battled Mayo right to the end in a 1- 0 loss Tuesday, Oct. 10 in Rochester.

“This game was by far our best of the season,” said firstyear head coach Gospel Kordah. “I felt that we outplayed Mayo the entire game. Every single player stepped up and competed at the highest level, including my bench. We were locked in and ready to take the game.”

He said the biggest highlight of the night for him was seeing the level of play from every player. “Mayo scored on a minor mistake from the backfield and was able to hold the score to 1-0,” he said. “We had our chances to score but were not able to put the shots on frame. It was a fun way to end the season even though we did not want it to end.”

Kordah said the season was a great experience for him and the players.

“I knew it would be a year of reorganizing the way we play the game. I did not spend much time coaching like I wanted to. This was a year of getting to know my players and being a positive influence on them. I spent more time being a mentor, a friend, and being present in my players' lives than I did coaching.

“On every level, the player and coach relationship was very good. Coach Trevor (Riebel) and coach Cesar (Delos Santos) were a great addition to the program and the way we want to play moving forward. We have the best parent support and involvement that I have ever seen. I am just happy to be part of my player's soccer experience.”

The Trojans concluded the season with a....

To see more on this story pick up the October 19, 2017 print edition of The New Prague Times.