The 2023 soccer season gets underway this week, and we asked local coaches what to expect from their teams this season. Here’s the preview for the Apollo boys’ team.
The Eagles begin their season at home against John Hardin at 6 p.m. on August 7.
Apollo finished last season with a record of 9-13-0 (2-5-0 9th District). This season, the Eagles will be guided by new head coach Nikos Agisilaou, who has served as assistant coach at Madisonville-North Hopkins for the last five seasons.
Here’s what Agisilaou had to say about the upcoming season:
What are your expectations/goals for this year?
I want our players to understand our expectations and improve throughout the season.
What will be the biggest challenges on the schedule?
Our district opponents will be our biggest challenges coming into the season. Making sure we can get some results once we start district play is important. Being competitive in those games is high on my list.
Who are your top returning players?
Senior Ra ne Son because he has played the most minutes among our returning players. Sophomore Keenan Jackson will step up this season and give us something to build off of as well.
Who do you expect/need to step up?
I expect our young core to step up as they will be earning minutes this season, but also pushing our upperclassmen to be better.
What areas are you hoping to improve on this year?
Our backline. We have some new guys in spots and lost 11 seniors last year, so just making sure we stay on top of things there. We want to concede less goals than a season ago.
