Carver back on pitch
After two-season hiatus, varsity squad returns
Carver boys’ soccer captain Zachary Todd summarizes his high school career in two words: “Roller coaster.”
When Todd joined the varsity team as an eighth-grader in the fall of 2019, the Crusaders were at the height of their powers, advancing to the Division 4 semifinals. The offense was one of the state’s top units, led by four-year stalwarts Dominic Craig and Mike Sawicki, who rank second and third on the program’s all-time scoring list.
Carver continued its winning ways the next season, capturing the South Shore League title. Then, everything changed.
Ahead of the 2021 season, only seven players registered. Part of the reason was the 2020 roster was senior-heavy and graduated 10 players. But interest in soccer also was waning at the school. As a result, Carver canceled its varsity season. “It was sad to not have a team,” said Todd. “I definitely struggled a lot. At my lowest, I definitely thought I’d never be able to play again for my school.”
With no varsity option, Todd shifted to the girls’ varsity as a sophomore, and felt isolated and lonely when blowback poured in from opposing coaches and parents. It was short-lived. He fractured his hip in the first half of the opening game and missed the rest of the season.
Still, Todd’s goal was to play for the boys’ team. So he became a recruitment extraordinaire in an effort to resurrect the program. He walked into classrooms and asked students to join the team. He texted student-athletes. He pitched his speech to friends, or friends of friends. Anything to get the message out.
“I would just ask around if anyone wanted to play soccer,” said Todd. “I told people we were rebuilding the program for our school and it would be something special to be a part of.”
It didn’t work. Carver canceled the varsity season again last year, instead fielding a junior varsity team. Todd helped coach the team. The breakthrough finally happened when the JV players resonated with the message Todd was delivering. They wanted to be part of the group that re-established Carver boys’ soccer.
This fall, Carver had enough players to field a varsity team. The Crusaders returned to action Wednesday in a nonleague matchup at Westport. Starting on defense, Todd played his first varsity game in nearly three years.
“I was very excited,” said Todd. “I worked really hard the last few years trying to get a team. We finally have one. It’s a young team. However, I am so thrilled. I have memories of when I first started playing. I hope our young players are excited as I was when I was younger.”
Carver’s 17-player roster lists four eighthgraders, six freshman, four sophomores, and three seniors. The Crusaders know this year may be a challenge. They lost in the opener, 7-1.
In charge of building the program back up is first-year coach Mike Santos, a physical education teacher at Carver Middle School and former junior varsity coach.
“For us as a coaching staff, it’s about reinforcing that we know we’re going to have some tough times,” said Santos, who was hired in June. “But the message is, how do we come out of those tough times? It’s a shell-shock for some of these younger kids, coming from junior varsity to varsity and playing against seniors.”
The Crusaders are not part of the South Shore League this fall, opting for an entire nonleague schedule against other Division 5 programs like Westport, Rising Tide Charter, and West Bridgewater. Santos is treating the season in increments, telling his players each practice and game serves as a learning opportunity.
What would a successful season look like?
“We want to see the progress of where we were in September to where are at the end of the season in October,” said Santos. “When we see teams a second time around, we want to know we competed, learned from our mistakes, and fixed them.”
The main goal is to build around the 14 underclassmen, so that when they are seniors, the program is on track to return to the golden days of 2019. Santos said buy-in from players is present, especially from freshman Mitchell Sawicki, Mike’s younger brother, who Todd called a future captain. The forward scored the first goal of the season and is developing as a cornerstone piece.
“The focus this year is to make sure we can retain the kids we have now,” said Santos. “We want to make sure we can give them a good experience that is competitive and fun. But we also want to build a program around these younger kids.”
Todd understands this season is not about wins or losses. He’s embraced a leadership role, realizing that building the foundation starts now. Santos is counting on him.
“It’s all about building the community,” said Todd. “We have to get people involved and be nice to others. The last few years, the feeling of community has been absent. That’s the focus of this season.”
Corner kicks
■ The season got off to a strong start in Lynn, with St. Mary’s capturing the Lynn City Tournament crown with victories over Lynn Classical on Tuesday and Lynn Tech on Saturday.
Kaya Jackson scored three goals against Lynn Classical in the semifinal round and Nick Miller added the other tally in a 4-0 win. In the final, Jackson put the Spartans up, 1-0, before thunderstorms forced the game to end after the first half.
■ Former Medway standout and current Union freshman Marco Perugini scored his first collegiate goal Wednesday in a 3-1 win over Western New England. Perugini was a two-time Globe All-Scholastic . . . Kamar Burris-Khan, a former Globe All-Scholastic from Newton South, scored the first two goals of his college career in Bowdoin’s 6-0 triumph over Husson on Saturday.