What might have been a slow start for Cotter’s  boys soccer team has blasted into success as they look to continue what is an impressive series of victories.

At the start of the season the team appeared to be headed for another mild season, with the soccer team starting their first 3 games with two close losses and a tie.

Then things started to heat up. Cotter sprang into a short streak of wins by taking down Stewartville, Schaeffer Academy, and St. Charles with a net score of 9-3 in favor of the Ramblers.

This string was followed by a scoreless tie versus PEM (Plainview-Elgin-Millville) that ended 40 minutes early due to weather.

The team then dropped a game to Byron, a loss it rebounded quickly from in  thrashing the next two teams they competed against, putting up scores of 5-0 against both Lake City and Caledonia.

To what does Cotter owe their success?

“The team has been very solid as a “team” defensively… Our midfielders also help tremendously and the forwards do a good job of pressuring the ball as well.” explains Mark Gernes, Head Coach of Boy’s Varsity Soccer.

“We have put a lot of emphasis on first touch, limiting our touches to 2-3 and then passing the ball which helps us maintain possession of the ball and create scoring opportunities.”

“I would owe our success to the team in general, it was a little tough there but we still won.” -said Patrick Michener, currently the team’s leading scorer.

“I would say our success comes from the team, that each of our players wants to be out there (on the field) and help out the team,” team captain Brennan Schaffner said. .

Grabbing hold of leadership and pushing the team forward to success are some key players. Brennan Schaffner and Logan Spitzer are leading the back line, displaying some solid defense for the team.  Patrick Michener, Bryant Gernes, and Daniel Cardenas are midfielders and forwards, providing their team with leadership and communication on the attack.

However, Cotter doesn’t just owe their success to a few players.“I really think we have a lot of players on the team that have stepped up in their own way in practice and games and are providing great leadership as well,” Coach Gernes said.

“The team expects to be competitive in every game.  They know they can compete against any of the teams we play as long as they focus on the little things that we have been stressing all season.” Kicking, sprinting, and striving for continued success, the soccer team, competing and often coming out on top, has proved its mettle.