Varsity boys soccer has had a great start to their season, going undefeated with a record of 6-0 as of Sept. 20. In their first tournament this year on Sept. 11, the team played Rockhurst, who was undefeated since 2022 and ranked No. 1 in the nation. After a long game ending in penalty kicks, the team was able to bring home a win, which varsity coach Eric Jones said will benefit them the rest of the season.

“They were ranked No. 1 in the country so [beating them] gave us a lot of confidence going into our next opponent,” Jones said. “Any time you get a chance to beat a program of that caliber it makes you excited and all the hard work pays off.”

Senior goalie Zachary Setterberg said the team’s mindset and ability to work with one another helped them be successful.

“We connected very well in the first half, we had a lot of heart and we really wanted to win,” Setterberg said.

Jones said he is proud of the team’s resiliency and demeanor, and that overall, it was crucial to the successful game.

“We were really high when we were up and when the game got tied we could’ve put our heads down but we didn’t, we kept fighting through it,” Jones said. “We just kept pushing and played it till the end and in the PKs, we were able to take away the win.”

Regular time ended with a tied score of 1-1, forcing both teams to go into penalty kicks given that it was a tournament. After blocking three shots, Setterberg rushed toward his team to celebrate the huge win.

“It was just an adrenaline rush [after we won],” Setterberg said. “It was very passionate and it felt like we were brought together as a family.”

Although the soccer team had never beat Rockhurst in school history, Setterberg said he expected the win because of the preparation the team did leading up to the game.

“I just came out knowing we were going to win,” Setterberg said. “We work hard every day, and I think it was a great step into our undefeated season.”