Last week, the boys’ soccer team faced off against Goochland High School on Monday, unfortunately ending in a 2-4 loss. Additionally, they also faced off against Western Albemarle on Thursday with another unfortunate loss ending in 2-9.

These scores may not seem good, but this year our boys’ soccer team has improved greatly while also introducing new additions to the team.

“This is the best Louisa soccer I have ever seen,” said senior goalkeeper Johnathan Jarvis. “Everybody has been stepping up, between Malcolm [Young] and Gabriel [Hurst-Barbeito], they have just been performing well.”

Senior striker Gabriel Hurst-Barbeito has scored two goals for the team, one against Chancellor, where the Lions won 2-1, and the other against Eastern View, which the Lions tied 2-2. Along with Hurst-Barbeito scoring for the Lions’ new student, Bence Buri has also scored for the Lions in both those same games, scoring both goals in the Western Albemarle game on April 16.

“Between Bence and me, we have great chemistry,” said Hurst-Barbeito.

The new addition, Bence Buri, brought along a new assistant coach, Atilla Buri. Coach Buri has introduced a new perspective with a prior background in playing soccer. By keeping the energy high and players focused on the game and at practices, he brings what other coaches have not, which is the fun yet competitive side of the sport, to allow these boys to compete against the highly skilled teams within the district.

“Compared to previous years, our intensity is very high,” said Jarvis. “With him [coach Buri], I feel like I have more trust because he wants it just as bad as we do, making me want to play harder.”

As these players prepare themselves for upcoming games, they prepare themselves to finish the season strong.

“As a team, we have improved in keeping the ball and intercepting the other team’s long balls and passes,” said Hurst-Barbeito. “We’re all coming together and doing our part.”