Meet the Captains: Boys Soccer

Chris Brownsword

(Photos/Kathryn Maclean)

What sport are you a captain of? I am captain of the boys soccer team.

When did you first begin playing this sport? I have been playing for as long as I can remember, most likely at age four or five.

Do you want to continue this sport in college? I am not sure yet if I will play in college.

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why? Coach Delaney has been an influential coach in my soccer career, as I have had him for four years now and has pushed me to become the best player I possibly can.

What other activities/clubs are you involved in? I have an outside job, am a part of a couple clubs, and I play club soccer.

How do you feel going into this season? I feel confident and excited to play this season because it will be our first 18-game season in a while.

What are some goals set for the team this coming season? How do you plan to achieve them? Our goals are to be above .500, have a positive record, have fun, and to establish a positive culture while finding the best possible mix of players to win games for us.

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why? Wellesley, Brookline, and Weymouth are all rivals because we have not liked each other in past seasons. Milton and Feehan would also be rivals because we should be the better team, but they got the better of us last year.

 

Matt McLaughlin

(Photos/Kathryn Maclean)

What sport are you a captain of? I am captain of the boys varsity soccer team.

When did you first begin playing this sport? I have been playing for as long as I can remember.

Do you want to continue this sport in college? No, I do not plan to play in college.

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why? Coach Delaney has been a prominent coach, as I have always been taught the technical aspects of the game. Delaney taught us how to be hard workers and hustle players. He installed “Walpole Tough” in us, the way the boys soccer team plays. 

What other activities/clubs are you involved in? I am a part of the Student Council, NHS, and UNICEF. 

How do you feel going into this season? I feel really good. We did well in our Nauset pre-season tournament, and I think we have a good set of returning players who can lead the team through a successful season.

What are some goals set for the team this coming season? How do you plan to achieve them? We plan on qualifying for the tournament through having a winning record instead of entering by the Sullivan rule. 

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why?

Weymouth is one of our rivals. They are a team who we know we can beat, but have also won against us in the past. On the field, our games always get physical with Weymouth, and it would be nice to beat them. We just need to remain focused and positive during the game to do so.

 

Aidan Webb

(Photos/Kathryn Maclean)

What sport are you a captain of? I am captain of the soccer team.

When did you first begin playing this sport? I started playing soccer at around age four.

Do you want to continue this sport in college? No, I plan to play lacrosse in college.

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why? Coach Delaney was a prominent coach in not just my soccer career but my athletic career overall because he taught me all about hard work. Also, Mr. Brownsword, Mr. Lessard , and Mr. Colbert were all influential coaches throughout my youth career. 

What other activities/clubs are you involved in? I also play for the lacrosse team. 

How do you feel going into this season? I feel ecstatic to get the season going. We have a lot of good technical players, more than usual, and if we consistently work hard and not take any games for granted we should be able to produce a good record and get into the state tournament. 

What are some goals set for the team this coming season? How do you plan to achieve them? Our goal is to show the Bay State League that Walpole is back and make the state tournament. If we play with high intensity and work hard day in and day out we will be just fine.

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why? Brookline and Weymouth are two of our biggest rivals along with the rest of the Bay State. We have developed a rivalry with Brookline over the last couple years and over this summer at some camps. The boys cannot wait to play them in a real organized game. Also, Weymouth is always a tough battle and always produces a good game.