Saline Boys Soccer Preview


This Week, Great Lakes Post’s Casey Campbell spoke with Saline Boys Soccer Coach Ryan Williams to preview the upcoming season. 

How ready are you to start this season?

Williams: We’re very excited for the season to begin. We are going to have a very different team than we did last year as we lost eight starters, but a lot of kids have improved and stepped up in many ways. It’ll be a different style of play, but this is a great group that is willing to work hard and motivated to have the best season possible. Many of these kids haven’t played together on a team.  I’ve been very impressed with the team chemistry and connections on the field already. We are very excited about this season!

Who are some of your top returners this year? 

Williams: Some of our top returners this season:

Midfielders – Zeke Gray, Noel Sompa, Dominic Rossi

Goalkeeper – Sam Herner

Defenders – Zack Mitzel, Hayden Larance

Forwards – Brayden Stavros, Connor Martin

How do you think The SEC will fair in soccer? 

Williams: The SEC is going to be incredibly competitive this year. Top to bottom it’s one of the strongest years in the conference I can remember. In the Red Division, the Ann Arbor Schools are always tough and bring excellent games. Ann Arbor Skyline is the returning D1 State Champions, and I know they’ve returned a lot. Pioneer was young last year and very talented, and Huron always has a strong team. This division is one of the strongest in the state, in my opinion, and I know between the Ann Arbor schools and us there will be some very exciting games. Also, Dexter from the white division has moved into our District at the end of the season. They are always very good, and I believe our District will be very competitive and one of the best in the state.

What is your outlook on this season? 

Williams: We are just trying to improve every day. We understand it’s a long season and our goal is to be playing our best soccer at the end of the year. We need to continue to learn and figure out what our identity of this team will be. It’s a process, and as long as the guys understand, we need to continue to get better every day. I think we will have a successful season.