Calhoun has lots to build off

Last year the Calhoun boys’ soccer team put together a nice season. It finished 2022 with a record of 9-3-1 and a playoff victory over South Side.

“We were really competitive all the way through the season,” coach Chris Vogel said. “We played pretty much every team to within one goal, so there’s a lot to build on.”

A mainstay for the Colts this season will be midfielder Sean Cooke. This will be the ex-academy player Cooke’s first season at Calhoun. He plays a great defensive midfield with tenacity and an excellent vision of the field.

Sophomore Drew Lennon will be joining Cooke in the midfield in his second year as a starter. Lennon was the second leading scorer for Calhoun last season, scoring five goals and adding three assists.

“I believe this could be [Lennon’s] breakout year,” Vogel said. “He played great last year but was overlooked because of some older players. This will really be the year for him to start getting the shine that he deserves.”

Ryan Nicholson, a three year starter who led Calhoun in assists last season, is one of the Colts’ vocal leaders. His skills are really shown when the balls are on his feet and he almost never tires during a game.

Junior Matt Borgese excelled as a defensive midfielder last season and in 2023 will be one of the center backs.

“[Matt] is one of our strongest players in the air,” Vogel said. “He wins pretty much every head ball there is.”

Joining Borgese at center back will be Jack Gavanoudias. Like his defensive partner, Gavanoudias is very strong on the ball. He is always anticipating the offensive player’s next move and understands the flow of the game.

Colin Friedman, who started every game for Calhoun as a sophomore last season, returns to his outside forward position. He’s a player who has a ton of speed and rarely turns the ball over. When he has possession, he almost always tends to find the right man.

At the fullback position Calhoun will have Jonathan Cardo and Xander Megias. Both of these players are very athletic and have the ability to make plays on both offense and defense due to their speed. Megias, who plays lacrosse as well, is one of the leaders of the team along with Ryan Nicholson.

Always reliable senior goalkeeper Joey Santos will return to the net in 2023.

One thing that coach Vogel loves about this Calhoun squad is its depth. While the starters will make an immediate impact he has plenty of talent coming off the bench in Joey Sambade, Leo Kastenbaum, Jacob Bachrach, Jack Gunn, and Cameron Beltre.

“We have a nice mix of seniors and then we also have a lot of younger guys who will be getting minutes and finding ways to impact the game,” Vogel said. “It is really exciting to be able to go into a season with plenty of players who you know will have a positive impact when they play.”