Catholic Memorial Soccer Team Hopes New Identity Means Better Results in 2011

The past two soccer seasons, the Knights have had little issue claiming an identity.

In 2009, the team nursed a reputation for its strong and experienced roster that stood a chance to make some noise come the tournament. That squad, of course, went on to claim a state championship before graduating 16 players.

Last season, the team – despite looking very different on the field – had the distinction of being known far and wide as defending state champions. That edition of the Knights, perhaps due to the pressure of that label or perhaps just lacking in experience, struggled to a 4-9-5 record, failing to make the tournament and missing the chance to properly defend their title. The few seniors the team did graduate severed nearly all ties to the championship squad.

Now two seasons removed from a championship, it’s easy to question exactly what the Knights identity may be now. Head coach John Finn was quick to answer.

“New,” he said.

New, despite the fact that 16 players return to the team?

“We went from the top to bottom and out,” he said. “So the goal the next two or three years is to get back to that caliber.”

Getting back to that level starts with this season, for which Finn has identified a goal of making the tournament. Finn identified three keys to making that happen.

First, the team needs to score more goals; scoring marked the Knights’ greatest struggle in 2010. The team placed only 17 goals in 18 games. This year, Finn said he plans to change formations and play three forwards most of the time to put some added pressure on the goal.

Two of the teams’ captains will fill those scoring spots. Seniors Terrence Rooney and Henry Jean-Claude – the team’s only holdovers from the title-winning team – will station up top. The team’s third senior captain, Ryan Lemioe, will look to control the possession game. Junior captain Todd MacDonald will anchor the team’s defense. Strong play from these four marks the second key to the Knights’ season.

The third key will be to get strong play from a trio of interesting goalies. Sophomore Zack Watson returns to the team after making a handful of starts last year. Joining him will be two seniors making transitions in their athletic pursuits. Denzel Gonzalez will switch from playing defense to the net. Tom Stanton, meanwhile, has come out for the soccer team the first time after spending last winter as the Knights’ backup goalie – in hockey. Finn said all three candidates have looked good in the preseason, which benefits him as a coach.

“We’re going to rotate them,” he said, “and then ride the horse that’s playing well.”

The Knights will kick off their new season with a new identity Saturday against the Boston Latin School. The game will be played at CM at noon.