After leaving blood, sweat and tears on the pitch, the boys varsity soccer team was recently awarded first place in the district due to their dominating performance during the regular season. The team hopes to bring that same momentum into the battle for what could be the school’s first boys soccer State win in history.

“Win or go home,” senior team captain Jonathan Kang said. “It’s our last chance and we fell short of our goal last year.”

This year’s varsity team, which captured the school’s first 6-6A District title since 2005, is led by 19 seniors. They can best be described as a wolfpack due to their extensive time together off the pitch.

“Our team consists of a lot of seniors,” Kang said. “Most of us have played together for four years now, so our team chemistry has already built up.”

The team’s regular season record of 13 wins, two ties and a lone loss reflected the chemistry built up over the years.

“My favorite game was against McKinney Boyd,” said junior left back Sam Phillips. “We were down 3-0 at halftime and we came back to win 5-4.”

The starting backline consists of center backs Kang and Landon Crossley as well as full backs Phillips and Cory Wright. Their cohesion and communication skills on the pitch are crucial to preventing their opponents from scoring.

“Our back four are really close,” Phillips said. “We know where each of us goes and when we need to be there.”

Like many team sports, soccer requires everybody on the field to work as one unit to achieve a common goal.

“Everybody on the field can contribute in more than one way, like moving with or without the ball,” senior defensive midfielder Stephen Taylor said. “You can’t really have a single star in soccer because there are so many people on the field.”

Taylor moved back to Plano after spending his three years of high school abroad in Singapore.

“It wasn’t an easy transition because everyone here is pretty talented,” Taylor said. “But I’ve played with some people including Jonathan before so it was pretty easy to fit in.”

Being a member of a varsity team is often challenging due to the schedule workload of both schoolwork and team practices. However, traits gained from sports, such as determination and perseverance, help benefit any student-athletes in their everyday life off the pitch.

“Growing up as an athlete, you never want to lose,” Kang said. “That competitive mentality gets implemented in your daily lifestyle.”

The team recently started its playoff run against Ryan High School with a victory of 4-0.

“It’s really cool when you win a game and you have lots of fans there,” Taylor said. “It’s great when you celebrate as a school.”

The team rallied a 4-0 victory in their first playoff game on March 25. They hope to see more fans as they continue on their road to the State championship.

“Come out to all our games,” Phillips said. “We need your support.”