By Tom Golon ‘22

The Brother Rice soccer program has had a major impact on my life since the day I became a part of it. About halfway through the summer coming into my freshman year we started soccer camp. Rice had hired a new head coach for the team who was supposed to flip the program around. Everyone was eager to meet him.

Freshman year was a great experience; our coaches were fun while still being effective.

“If it were not for soccer I don’t think I would have had half as many friends freshman year,” said senior Kian Culkin.

Everyone made new friends since practices started before the school year had even begun. That is why some of these friendships were so strong; they were the first friends we made at Brother Rice. Our team was pretty good and we all flourished as individuals in this new environment.

Sophomore year was another great experience. We did not perform as well as a team as we did freshman year, but there was more to it than simply winning or losing. Seeing the same guys 5 out of 7 days a week really strengthened our friendships. Whether it was a practice or a game, I was always glad to spend time with these guys.

My junior year was very different. Due to Covid, our season was postponed in the fall and we were not able to play until the spring. I was very upset to not have a season. It was going to be my first experience as a varsity player at Brother Rice. When it was announced that we would have a season, I was hyped.

“I really thought I was going to have to go a whole year without playing soccer,” said senior Pat Carney. The season finally came, and although we struggled to perform, I still had a great time and made many new friends being on varsity.

Senior year came and then it was gone; the season truly did fly by. This does not take away from the impact that it had on me and the experiences I had. We had lots of success as a team and it was very fun being a part of a winning team. Although I wasn’t a star player of any sorts, I still loved being there each day and trying to make my team better.

“I will never forget Brother Rice soccer,” said senior Tim Hayes. Hayes, Pat Conroy, Kian Culkin, Brendan Nye, and Oscar Cerritos and I are the 6 seniors that have played all 4 years. We committed ourselves to the program for 4 years and will never regret it.