Experience, depth give Highland boys soccer team a chance to level up in 2023 season
A roster that returns experience in each area and quality depth are the keys that should help the Highland boys soccer Bulldogs improve on last season’s 6-17-2 campaign.
Top returning players for HHS include senior forward Luke Morris, senior forward Jacob Oliver, senior midfielder Jacob Lewis, senior goalie Cole Ellis, senior forward Zane Korte and senior defenders Easton Belford and Dylan Duft.
“All these are guys who saw a ton of (playing) time last year, so we’ve got a very nice group (of players) coming back,” Highland coach Jay Robertson said.
Goal scoring should be one of the Bulldogs strong suits this fall. Oliver (nine goals), Mollet (eight goals), and Morris (six goals) give Highland a potent offensive punch that will give the team a chance to win games.
“We like to think that we’ll have the ability to put the ball away (in goal) this year, so with all those guys coming back and having some younger guys coming up these guys have really set the precedent over the summer really working in the weight room. And they’ve been doing quite a bit with the ball and we’re excited about this group,” Robertson said.
Robertson is also excited about his incoming crop of freshman, a promising group of 15 players he is expects good things from this year.
“We have some freshmen — we have a really strong freshman class — and we’ve got quite a few of them that have some ability to play in all different spots, so we like our freshman class,” Robertson said.
In addition to scoring being a strength, the Bulldogs believe their midfield play and back line defense also will bolster the club.
“We will be able to do a lot of work in the middle (of the field) and we have some guys coming back in the backfield that have experience as well,” Robertson said.
On defense, junior Jack Henschen is back after recovering from a torn ACL injury last season. Deklan Riggs — a senior transfer from Hillsboro — also will see time on the back end, while senior Dylan Duft will move from midfield to the backfield.
Sophomores Drew Jansen and Owen Steinbeck — who saw action last season as freshmen — will round out the defensive rotation and add depth to the position.
“We should have a nice rotation (back there),” Robertson said.
Highland opens the season at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, with a first round game in the Metro Cup Tournament against Gibault at Freeburg High School.
