The varsity soccer team has not lost a home Inter-Ac league game in three years. This statistic, while a testament to the team’s consistently strong roster, cannot be attributed to one or even a few standout performers. Rather, it results from a culture of teamwork, unity, and excellence.
“We lost a lot of key players, and this year the lineup changed a lot,” Sixth Former Harry Koenig said. “Still, one of our strongest attributes on the field is working as a team. We don’t have any one star player.”
The team graduated sixteen players last year. Head Coach Keith Cappo said that acclimating new players to the varsity level was a focus this season. “You have to revisit things that we’ve been able to build for the last two years with a large group of seniors,” Coach Cappo said. “You have to evolve with the new players.”
Beyond skill and strategy, one of the key qualities the team concentrates on is brotherhood. The team extends beyond Memorial Field and outside of the fall season’s weekday practices.
“Being with the program helped me create friendships and bonds that are today very important to me,” Sixth Form captain Luca Aloi said.
A consistent routine brings the team together to facilitate those connections. Each night before home games, the players gather for dinner. Each morning before games, they meet for breakfast and to discuss their plans and strategies.
This procedure extends the team beyond the field. “It brings [the players] into focus, and they have time to go through the game plan and my thoughts,” Coach Cappo said.
Before first period begins, throughout the school day, leading up to their walk onto the field accompanied by Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” the team is united by preparation, drive, and concentration. Together, the team’s resolve strengthens.
While their staggering record in home league games will not be at play for this year’s EA Day, the Fords are prepared for EA’s atmosphere. “We know what to expect,” Coach Cappo said. “It’s going to be my second time at EA, and it will be a lot of our guys’ first time playing there. Now that I know what to expect, I’ll be able to prepare them a little bit more.”
The game is an opportunity to realize a mindset the team has been practicing. “We have to go there and control what we can control,” Coach Cappo said. “We can’t control how the fans are, we can’t control how the refs are, we can’t control how the other team approaches it. We can just control what we do and how we prepare for it.”
Aloi thinks mentality is key.
“The crucial component in our preparation is our mindset,” Aloi said. “We already know our tactics, so we just have to keep practicing them. Talent only takes you so far, but mentality is what separates the good from the great.”
For a second season in a row, the Inter-Ac league title is dependent on the Fords’ EA Day matchup. With a third consecutive title and the Sweater on the line, mindset remains the team’s focus. “The team is not thinking about EA Day as EA Day and the Sweater,” Aloi said. “We think of it as another Inter-Ac game to win the league.”
Finishing their season with the state tournament, Inter-Ac championship, and EA Day in the span of one week, the team continues to rely on its commitment and brotherhood.
When bad moments come, this group trusts the coaches and gets to work in silence
Luca Aloi ’25
“When bad moments come, this group trusts the coaches and gets to work in silence; everyone takes accountability, and no one claims to ‘know best,’” Aloi said. “We just trust the coaches and each other to climb out of hard moments.”
