After winning in a penalty shootout against Benito Juarez Community Academy in the city quarterfinals, the Junior Varsity WY Boys Soccer team went on to face Solorio Academy High School. The city semifinal, which took place on Solorio’s home turf, was a long, well played matchup that ended in a 3-0 loss for WY. Fortunately, this was not the end of their season. A few days after the game, the WY players were informed that Solorio had been disqualified from the city championship, as it was discovered that they had been using varsity players in the junior varsity game — a clear violation of IHSA rules. For WY, this meant a chance to take back their season and have another shot at claiming the city title. The only thing that then stood in their way was a talented Von Steuben Metropolitan High School team.

WY was fired up and ready to play in one of the biggest games of their season. Entering the Lane Tech soccer stadium, fans from both teams could be heard screaming at the top of their lungs as they were ready to support their school. Throughout the course of the game, the stands were rowdy and raucous. Fans were either upset at close referee calls or ecstatic after near goal opportunities. Although WY generated twice as many scoring chances as Von Steuben, the boys lost 1-0. Nicholas Sosnivka (‘19), however, said after the game, “I’m so proud of the team getting this far, what an effort it has been.”

As striker Jonathan Perez (‘19) later explained, “This team is full of talented players, but could not have accomplished so much without the outstanding job done by Coach Mandakas.” Mandakas’s coaching knowledge is proven by the success of the JV boys soccer team in the past. He helped the players come together and play as a team over a short period of time and is most definitely one of the main reasons WY’s soccer teams are always so successful. Mandakas has been able to develop players every year in order to prepare them for the varsity level and whatever may lie beyond.

Moreover, this year’s JV soccer team is filled with many young and promising players who will hopefully continue playing in the years to come. Eric Thompson ‘17 believes this year’s JV team has many “rising stars who will be good assets to the program in the near future.” Hopefully the boys can keep their heads up knowing that next year they will be feared on the field.