Winchester Boys Soccer Aiming for a State Title

The Winchester boy's soccer team has been looking forward to the start of the season since last year's disappointing 2-0 loss at Wilmington ended their run to a state title.

"That game was on my mind for a while," said senior captain Ben Bratt. "For the seniors it was discouraging because we thought we were the better team. We were on a smaller field and it worked to their advantage. We know we should've done better."

This may be the year that the Sachems not only improve from last year's success, but make it to that elusive state championship game.

Coach Paul Austin is entering his 11th season as the boys soccer coach at Winchester, and he said this year's team may be the best one he's coached.

"The whole starting lineup are kids that play all year round, and coming off the bench 50 percent of them are club players," Austin said. "This is probably one of the most complete teams we've had since I've been coaching, and this is the most experienced team I've had since I've been coaching. It should be an exciting year for us."

The team has three potential Division I players in seniors Bratt, Kevin Desa and Ryan Connolly.

Bratt, a fullback, will be a four-year starter who may be the best defender in the league and is one of the captains.

Desa is a well-rounded player up front who Austin calls a magician with the ball.

"His 1-(on)-1 skills are phenomenal and he's very capable of just tearing defenders apart," Austin said.

Connolly, a midfielder, will be transferring back to Winchester after spending his junior year in private school. He's a strong, focused player who delivers the ball well and acts like the quarterback of the team.

"There's a maturity to his play," Austin said. "He holds the ball as long as needs to and that's it. He plays very simple, yet simple is smart."

The Sachems will also welcome back a healthy Conor Calnan. The junior striker was the highest goal-scorer on the team during the second half of last year, but he sustained a quad injury and couldn't complete the postseason.

Desa had a team-high eight assists and Calnan scored nine goals last year. They will need to replace the production of Ephesien Simpson, who scored 16 goals, the second-most in the Middlesex League.

Mark Greenblatt, a midfielder who started as a freshman last year, is another young player to watch.

The team will need to replace goalie Nick Woolf, who graduated. Junior Andrew Shediac, the back-up last year, will be competing with other club players from his class for that role.

Winchester had a strong year last year, finishing 11-3-4 in the Middlesex League and outscoring opponents 50-12, but Austin is even more optimistic this time around.

"I'm pretty excited about the team this year," Austin said. "I'm so looking forward to seeing them play."

The school's new turf field should also aid the Sachems.

"I think it will benefit us," Austin said. "The type of skill players that we have on the team, our skill level requires that really nice field to maximize that ability."

As the Sachems head into the season they have their eyes set at a state championship.

"Obviously we have pretty high expectations," Desa said. "We're a pretty skilled, pretty experienced team. We're excited for the season. We have pretty high standards, our goal is a state championship."

Winchester Boy's Soccer

Last season: 12-4-4 (11-3-4).
Key players: Ben Bratt, Sr., D; Kevin DeSa, Sr., M; Ryan Connolly, Sr., F; Conor Calnan, Jr., F; Mark Greenblatt, So., M.
Key losses: Esphesien Simpson, F; Nick Woolf, G.
Outlook: Winchester finished third in the Middlesex League and lost in the quarterfinals of the D2 North tournament. If they can replace Simpson, who finished second in the league with 16 goals, and Woolf, who allowed 0.71 goals a game, this year can be even better. The team is buoyed by the return of Connolly, a talented midfielder who transferred back for his senior year. The new turf field should be the perfect showcase for talented players like Bratt, DeSa and Calnan, who all scored at least six goals last season.
Quote: "This is the most experienced team I've had since I've been coaching," coach Paul Austin said.