HARDWICK – The Hazen Union boys soccer team will continue to build towards a more offensive attack in head coach Harry Besett’s second season as they look to keep up with some of the premier programs in the state in the daunting Capital League.
The Wildcats struggled to compete in the Division II rich Capital once again last season, finishing with four wins on the season. They ended the year on a high note however, taking fourth seeded Caledonia to the wire before ultimately falling 3-2 in the first round of the Division III playoffs. Besett didn’t lose a single player to graduation and hopes to take a step forward this fall with a more experienced squad.
“We have three players not returning to the team this season but had 20 players come out, including several incoming freshmen. We are looking forward to having a great season this year and our young players coming in should round out a very strong starting lineup. We’ll look to our seniors to lead our team expectations of sportsmanship, strong work ethic, working as a team on the field, and sticking to the in-game tactics,” said Besett.
Hazen’s top junior core was led by leading scorer Ryan Morrison and second leading scorer Sully Laflam, who earned Second Team All-Capital League honors after a breakout season. Fellow juniors Grayson McNaughten and Morgan Michaud also earned league honors anchoring the Wildcat defense last fall. McNaughten has been a staple in goal for the Wildcats since coming over from Craftsbury Academy as a sophomore. Besett’s Wildcats will need all the experience they can get in the back third against a murderer’s row of high scoring teams in the Capital that include Division II state champion Harwood and defending Division III state champion Stowe.
“We are continuing to work at changing our formation this season to make movement off the ball simpler and more predictable for each other. With this change, we are hoping to increase our ability to possess the ball, counterattack and create more chances in the final third. We will look to play a lot of one and two touch passes in the middle of the field and also try to create dangerous chances for our wings to get to the corner and drive into the box,” said Besett.
Besett’s squad have already had preseason tune-ups against Danville and Richford. They are scheduled to officially open the season on the road against Division II Lamoille next Tuesday. They will host Blue Mountain in their home opener at Hudson Fields next Saturday.
