After suffering a heartbreaking 4-1 loss last season against top-ranked Whitefish Bay in the sectional finals, the Brookfield Central boys soccer team faced high expectations entering the season, along with a tougher road than anyone could have pictured.

Entering an offseason after losing 11 graduating seniors the previous year, questions regarding their overall identity persisted throughout the team during the early stages of the season. Captain and senior Josh Thistle elaborated on this point by stating, “I think the hardest part of the season was developing who we are, not chemistry wise, but the way we play. Almost like having a brand about how we play.”

Thus, Coach Makal immediately made attempts to deal with this issue by creating team-bonding activities to assist in developing team chemistry, particularly for the new members. Hence, the team embarked on adventures such as a camping trip early on in the season, along with team breakfasts before every game. Moreover, strong leaders in the locker room certainly eased the transition.

“I think that a lot of it [chemistry] was natural,” Thistle continued, “because of a lot of the players being in the program for so many years.” Furthermore, Thistle led the way for Brookfield Central High School’s first win of the season against West Allis High, scoring five of the seven goals in a dominant victory to begin the season. Central concluded the regular season with a record of 9-5-1 and will continue their journey through the postseason.

Although more difficult than years prior, the hardwork and dedication the Lancers brought daily resulted in quite a few very rewarding experiences, especially one event in particular. “I think beating Brookfield East was the best part of the season so far,” Thistle remarked with a small smile. “It was our best game as a team, we really played well and getting that result, against that team, was really great.”