After the team’s big loss last year in the championship game, the Maize South boys soccer team had to come back stronger than ever to ensure they head back to the state championship.

The coaches know that the players needed a mentality check to get back in line during the off-season. The Mavs worked harder than ever before August started, preparing at different camps, conditioning and even getting together on their own to shoot goals, dribble and do passing drills.

Head Coach Rey Ramirez thinks the experience of losing state helps the team focus more on a 2022 state championship run.

“We have came up short in the finals and that experience has really helped build belief in ourselves,” Coach Rey Ramirez said. “We can do it. We know what it looks like, we know what it feels like, and that self belief is something that was created this year.”

Even though the team is focused on winning as many games as possible, their junior captain, Vitor Geromel, offers rides to connect with players and invites younger players for 3 vs. 3 practice on the weekends.

“This year you can tell there is a lot more positive, and with having a younger captain and a younger leader, it helps the freshmen out by helping out and having a positive attitude,”  Peterson said. “With the loss last year, it helps us by wanting to fight back even harder.”

For senior Tatum Steinhoff, this is his third year going to state and getting second or third but never has been on a team that’s captured the state championship. He believes losing actually motivates the team to dominate throughout the playoffs and grab another opportunity at state.

“It’s really not that different, we have a strong mentality this year and a strong strive to get there and take the dub,” Steinhoff said. “We went last year, so we have that experience, but when we came up short that just hit us this year. We want to go back and take it home.”

Coach Greg Shelly-Unruh has been with the boys soccer team for ten years as a coach. He built the team to what it is today, helping the boys through all their state runs, all the hard seasons with losing records, and now the boys have a chance to be the first undefeated team in the regular season in Maize South history.

“I think one of the biggest things this year is so different than last because we had a lot of seniors graduate last year, a lot of boys that helped build the program,” Shelly-Unruh said. “We were able to fill their leadership roles last year. The opportunity was there for a lot of our current players to step up. Faces change, expectations don’t.”