The boys varsity soccer team has had a great start to their season. They played their first game of the season on Friday, Aug. 27, against Parkway Central. Liberty thrashed their opponents 5-0 in a game they utterly dominated.

Landon Duvall (11), Turner Lively (10), Aiden Moore (12), Carson Nolan (10), and Paul Valenti (12) all scored a goal each. Midfielder Schrader Ludwig (11) completed three assists with forward Kaden Marsh (12) completing two. Goalie Patrick O’Day (12) had a clean sheet in the game. This match was surely a good confidence booster at the start of the year for the squad.

Last season, the team had an impressive run with a record of 13-6. This included victories over Timberland, Holt, Washington, and Fort Zumwalt West. In that season, Marsh outstandingly scored 12 goals, with Parker Kessler (since graduated) scoring 7. Marsh also got 8 assists, with Kessler having 5. O’Day completed 7 shutouts. Overall, it was a rather remarkable season for the Liberty soccer team.

There are many players in the squad that have contributed to the team’s top-notch performances. Forward Gordo Garcia (11) said that his strengths in the game are his “speed and size,” as well as his “vision.” When asked which professional soccer player he looks up to, Garcia replied, “Definitely Ronaldinho. I like how he’s unpredictable, and every time he gets the ball, everyone thinks something cool is about to happen.” He also mentioned midfielders Mason Mount (Chelsea), Thiago Alcántara (Liverpool), and Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) as some of his biggest inspirations.

The varsity soccer coach, Tony Luedecke, stated that this season the team is going to “play a better brand of soccer.” He said, “We’re really young as a team, but I think our chemistry’s pretty good, so I have pretty high expectations. We want to win a district championship and then make a run for state.” He noted that the group this year is “very attack-minded” and is looking to score many goals. Luedecke is currently using a 3-5-2 formation for the team, which is a midfield-heavy arrangement.

Patrick O’Day, in reference to Coach Luedecke, remarked, “I think he’s great. He pushes us to do better, always trying to get better every single day in practice.”

O’Day said that personally, he likes listening to “any kind of music that gets [him] hyped up” before a game, including genres like rock and hip hop, as well as artists Pop Smoke and Metallica. He added that he looks up to goalies such as Ben Foster (Watford), Alisson Becker (Liverpool), and Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), the latter of which he said has “revolutionized being goalkeeper.”

After a 1-0 loss to Mehlville on Thursday, the Eagles’ next game will be versus Rock Bridge at home on Saturday, Sep. 4.