As season ends, freshmen soccer players set goals for next year

The soccer season has come to a close, and several freshman players shared their reflections and goals moving forward.

Freshmen Raleigh Parker, Dilbar Pahwar and Kenneth Biggs, all first-year athletes, discussed their personal expectations, challenges and plans for improvement.

Biggs said he had high hopes going into the season but was ultimately disappointed with his performance.

“The season went a lot worse than I thought it would,” Biggs said. “I didn’t play as well as I thought I would, and that negatively affected the season and how I reacted to it.”

Pahwar admitted to a key challenge he faced early on—lack of awareness of his teammates on the field.

“I only focused on what I was doing, instead of paying attention to the team as a whole,” he said. “It cost us a few points in some games.”

Despite those setbacks, Pahwar said he was able to grow during the season by becoming more team-oriented and aware of his responsibilities.

With nearly a year until the next season, the players are already preparing for improvement.

“I’m going to try really hard in the offseason,” Parker said. “I need to work on my passing and overall defense before next year.”

Pahwar also laid out specific skills he plans to strengthen.

“This summer, I have to work on my ball control—I struggled with that in games,” he said. “I also need to build my stamina.”

Looking ahead, Pahwar said his goals for the next season are ambitious.

“Next year, I want to win significantly more and make way more goals,” he said.

Although the freshmen faced a learning curve this season, all three players said they are focused on improvement and are determined to return stronger.