Boys’ soccer senior night was held on Monday, January 29th, 2024.

To showcase the first of our seniors, here’s team #6, Captain Julius Almader. Julius, who plays the position of left back, has been playing soccer for 5 years, originally joining just to be with his friends. His favorite memory on the team is when one of his friends scored a goal on him. His dad, brother, and coaches have been the most supportive people in his soccer journey. Although he’s yet to figure out future plans, he wants all the other kids who want to play soccer to “… Just work hard and have confidence in yourself.”

Next, we have our second captain, Yigit “YG” Sunguray, #10, and midfield. Yigit is originally from Turkey, where he first started playing the sport and has continued for the past 12 years. He started playing because when he first learned what soccer was, he loved it so much he wanted to play it very badly and his dad used to play. His favorite moment was when he scored his first goal for Varsity. He wants to be a professional soccer player in the future, but right now he’s focused on going to college. He has some advice for anyone who’d like to start playing soccer: “Soccer is a very good sport, it will make you better both mentally and physically. In soccer, you learn to work with the team and have a great time with your teammates. If there is someone who wants to be a soccer player, he should work hard for it and never give up. My mother and brother supported me a lot in this adventure.”

The next senior honored is Seth Gustafsson, who is the JV team Captain. Seth is #8 and plays multiple positions such as midfield, defense, forward, and even goalie. He has been playing soccer for 4 years now, one year in youth soccer at the YMCA, and 3 years here at Sahuaro. When asked about why he wanted to start playing, Seth responded, “I wanted to start playing soccer instead of managing for 3 seasons. So, in the fall, I manage football, in the winter, I play soccer, and in the spring, I manage track and field and 7v7 football.” His favorite memory stems all the way to the beginning. It’s the simplest thing, just meeting his friends when he first started playing. After high school, Seth plans to go to the U of A, majoring in Biology and minoring in Criminal Justice. He would like to return to Sahuaro and work as a football manager and maybe even coach.

This multicultural soccer team also honored senior Boris Nkematabong, originally from Cameroon, where he first began playing soccer.  Boris has been playing soccer for over 6 years just because he loves it and it makes him happy. He is #9, a right-back, and his friends affectionately call him “psycho”. His favorite memory was when his friend gave him his new soccer cleats because his were so worn out.  He has some advice to share with future soccer players: “If you want to play soccer, believe in yourself, and don’t listen to the negative things people say about you, because they can never be you.”

Here’s #13, Isaiah Imperial, but his friends call him “Zay”. Isaiah has been playing soccer for the past 5 years, starting in 8th grade. He plays 2 positions, a right-side defender, and a left-side winger. He started his soccer journey because his friends and some teachers wanted him to play. He’s said, “My favorite memory was on a bus ride from an away game, singing songs as a team.” In the future, Isaiah is going to a trade school to become a mechanical engineer.

Our newest member, Noah Robinson, #11. This is his first year ever playing soccer – he decided to join because he wanted to “…try something new for my last year.” He plays the position of left back. His favorite memory was senior night, he played well and it was their first win! He plans on taking a gap year and then getting into photography/videography. He has some advice for anyone looking to join a sport later in high school, “Just do it, I mean you might as well just try it for your last year.”

Lastly, we have Chris Hernandez, #7, and a forward. He has been playing soccer for 5 years and started on a team called Sharks. His dad put him in soccer to follow in his footsteps. “My favorite memories in soccer have been making new friends and the bus rides to our away games.” He plans to go to Pima Community College and study Cyber Security. Throughout his soccer journey, his entire family has been extremely supportive. He wants future soccer players to really heed by this advice, “…Don’t give up, and always try your hardest.”

Coach Lopez has spent the past 3 years coaching this team and has seen the majority of the seniors improve immensely and move up from JV to Varsity. He says, “They’ve really improved since I met them, they’ve played really well their senior year.”

The game ended as the boy’s first win this season with a score of 2-0.

We wish all our seniors the best of luck with their future! And hope some continue to pursue their soccer careers.

Thank you, soccer seniors!