SOPHOMORES LEND A HAND
Saratoga youngsters are making their mark for the Blue Streaks this season
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY » As Saratoga’s 2020 regular season comes to a close, a solid group of young sophomores have become main contributors for the Blue Streaks.
It all started over the summer. As players first started to get out-and-about when sports started to take off again, the Blue Streaks were getting back to work during club practices at Gavin Park.
“Over the summer we got together with some of the other players on the varsity team. We played two-three hours a day and the seniors really warmed up to us and I think it’s really cool that now I’m able to start on the varsity team as a sophomore,” said Nicholas Varghese, who is joined on the team by his twin brother, Lucas. “For both of us to be up here playing as sophomores, it’s really fun.”
Not only are they twins, but they each have similar stats. Each have collected three goals in their first season on varsity.
“My first game I was really nervous. I didn’t know if I had what it took to play at this level,” Lucas explained. “Throughout the season I’ve
gotten comfortable and even had some success.”
That was a common feeling between the twins, although early season jitters are pretty common.
“I think at the beginning I was a little more nervous, but we’ve come a long was in the short amount of time since then,” Nicholas added.
The Varghese twins, along with Evan Hallett and Evan Griffiths made themselves stand out over the summer and they took that momentum into tryouts in late September.
“I’ve known all of them for many years now. They preformed well in tryouts but I didn’t necessarily see them starting. I saw them getting a solid chunk of minutes,” said coach Jeff Geller. “Once we started training, we saw howmuch more they could bring to the table.”
The common denominator amongst the group is speed. Geller put it simply, “speed kills,” and that’s whathis core groupof sophomores now brings to the table.
“I contribute a lot of my success to the other three sophomores on the team,” Evan Hallett said. “We’ve really been working well together and we have some great senior leaders who have been paving the way for us. I thought I was progressing well over the summer and that I’d have a shot to make the team, I got my chance in tryouts and everything seemed to work out.”
Geller went into further detail on why his sophomores have been so successful.
“Nicholas and Lucas offer such a blistering pace and are so quick on the ball. They have really quick feet and are able to change direction and stop on a dime, which is really dangerous. Evan Hallett has scored some wonder goals for us this year, especially some from distance. They know how to play soccer and know the ways that we like to play here. They fit into our system perfectly and have been big-time for us.”
Hallett has been the standout of his sophomore group, scoring five goals and placing four assists during the shortened season.
“My goal against Albany in our 1- 0 win is probably my favorite moment of the season,” he said. “It was one of the first games of the season and it was a pretty significant goal.”
The Varghese twins and Hallett each noted that the opportunity to play over the summer with Saratoga’s upperclassmen was a key to them being added to the varsity roster.
“I think some of the upperclassmen were talking to coach about my brother and I and both Evans to be sophomores on varsity. I’m happy that we got our chance to play up here,” Lucas said. “The seniors and juniors have been really nice to us since the summer. I was expecting to have a shot to be on the team, but it’s still kind of surreal to actually be up here.”
Saratoga sophomores have gone from having their sights set on making the team to the overall team goals of winning and getting a good spot in the playoffs.
“We haven’t lost on our home turf this year, so I’m hoping that we get a high seed and that we get another home game,” Lucas said.
Hallett is focused on continuing the good play the Blue Streaks have been showing as a team.
“We have a lot ofmomentum right now. We’ve been playing better and better each game and we’re really moving the ball well,” Hallett said. “It’s frustrating tying teams because we definitely feel like we can pull through and win those games if there was overtime, but we’ll have our chances to show what we can do in the playoffs. We’re ready.”
Saratoga ended the regular seasonwith a 6-2-3 overall record, with ties against Burnt Hills, Niskayuna and Columbia. The Suburban Council playoffs begin with the first round on Tuesday November 17.