[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
Following a 9-6-2 regular season record, Westwood High boys soccer surprised some people last year. After losing to Medfield twice in the regular season, the No. 10 Wolverines exacted some revenge and knocked out the No. 7 Warriors on their home turf with a 3-2 win on penalty kicks in the opening round, followed by a 3-2 upset win on the road at No. 4 Greater New Bedford. Ultimately, Westwood fell 3-1 to Walpole in the South semifinals, ending their season.
In 2019, a significant portion of the team that made the playoff run last fall is gone. However, expectations for this season are still extremely high, thanks to the return of two key players and senior co-captains: midfielder Mike TeDuits and defender Patrick Moylan.
“We expect this to be a bit of a rebuilding year,” said TeDuits. “As always, we aim to win the Tri-Valley league and do the best we possibly can, and also make a great run in the playoffs like we did last year.”
Despite not having a great amount of varsity experience, TeDuits says he and his teammates still expect a lot out of each other this season and look forward to once again playing the role of underdog.
“I think that differently from last year, we don’t have as much experience on the team, and not as many returners - but that doesn’t mean that we are going to take off the gas and look for just an okay year,” said TeDuits. “The expectations after last year's run are in everyone’s mind and should be a goal. We know we should finish the job and win playoff games, but it should be a challenge for a young team like us which is really excited.”
For funny and insightful sports analysis, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter @fLAno0.
