This is one of those years where the Silver Lake High boys’ soccer team can be really confident in what they have coming back on the pitch.
Sure, last year they may have been uncertain of how they would perform, but they enjoyed plenty of success throughout the year as they went 16-5, won their second straight divisional and made it to the playoffs. They earned the No. 3 seat and fell to Wellesley in double overtime in the first round.
All of the team’s top players from last year have returned. The Lakers had four Patriot League All-Stars on their team in 2016: Pat McMahon, Owen Nally, Mike Donovan and Justin Keating. Each of the four is back once again which makes the Lakers a strong contender once again this season.
McMahon had a team-high 17 goals (plus nine assists) last season while Donovan added nine goals and 12 assists last year. In net, Justin Keating recorded nine shutouts last year and Nally excelled as a midfielder and had five goals and three assists.
The defense also has some valuable experience at the varsity level. Colin Canniff, Casey Grindle and Brian Reilly were all major varsity contributors. Mike Carey was a forward last year, but he has since swapped positions and will help out defensively while Jeremy Gallagher and Michael Chun are returning varsity starters in the midfield.
Despite all this experience, the Lakers have six sophomores on their varsity squad, so they have a strong mix of youth and elders on their team. It also indicates they will not be in rough shape in the future when they lose some of their top players to graduation.
The Lakers next home game is next Monday, Sept. 18, against Pembroke High School. The start time in that one is set for 3:30 p.m..