Max Kats felt no surprise when 110 Belmont High School boys showed up to Harris Field for the first day of soccer tryouts. The senior captain saw it coming, the real-life visual of his peers’ growing interest in the game.
For the second straight year, roughly 15% of the school’s male enrollment made their case for a spot with the Marauders, a promising turnout for a Middlesex League program with a winning pedigree.
“I’ve seen the popularity of the program grow year by year,” Kats said. “It’s cool to see how much involvement there is around soccer and how it’s continuing to grow in Belmont.”
All four of last year’s league all-stars graduated, leaving ample room for new faces on the pitch. Kats, a center midfielder who debuted on the varsity midway through his freshman year, leads a strong group of returning seniors. Daniel Chang (attacking midfielder), do-it-all Nico Amirfarzan and attackers Jacob D’Orio and Evan York bring valuable varsity experience.
Watch for varsity newcomers or former reserves to step into key roles, including a first-year varsity goalkeeper to replace Thomas Borkowski, “a true legend,” according to coach Chris Camille.
“We’re excited about all the players around the group,” Camille said. “There’s a strong 10th-grade class that shows the strides the Belmont Soccer Association has taken in terms of player development.”
Now in his second year at the helm, Camille and his staff pared down the numbers to about 70 between the three teams. Splitting the original tryout pool into returning varsity and upperclassmen, returning junior varsity, and incoming freshmen helped narrow things down.
Camille “learned a lot” in his debut campaign, not just about his team, but the town’s soccer community at large. The high school season is long, and the goal is to prepare the team to play its best in October.
“I’m trying to help the boys take a long look at the season and that every bump along the way is just part of the road,” Camille said.
Two words to describe Belmont’s playing style: prepared and organized.
Transition play is perhaps the most unpredictable part of soccer, but the Belmont High School boys’ varsity team plans to capitalize when the ball is up for grabs. Most high school teams play for shots on goal volume, but Belmont’s style is to be more patient and handle the ball with finesse.
“I think one thing people should know is that this is a pretty young team,” Kats said. “We’re looking to focus on developing talent. We’re not the biggest, strongest or fastest team but we’re looking to build from the back and create scoring opportunities from the back.”
Last year’s team went 11-3-4, earning the No. 16 seed in the MIAA Division I Tournament. They fell to No. 17 Ludlow in their first tournament game. The difference between Belmont and Ludlow, Camille said, was depth. The massive turnout for tryouts this year put the Belmont program on solid footing for its renewed focus on building a bigger, reliable bench.
“It’s a very competitive atmosphere,” Camille said. “It’s been really interesting to see how strong the whole group is.”
All BHS soccer fans should mark their calendars for Sept. 20 when Reading Memorial High School visits Harris Field for the 10th annual Soccer Night in Belmont varsity double-header. Other key home matches to watch for with the boys’ soccer team come in the second half of the regular season, including tilts against Arlington (away, Sept. 13, home, Oct. 20), Winchester (away, Sept. 27, home, Oct. 27), and Lexington (home, Sept. 24, away, Oct. 22).
Kats liked what he saw in the early days of tryouts and outlined the team’s goals as building a deeper bench, posting a winning record and making a run in the postseason tournament.
“I’m impressed with the talent we’ve seen, and I’m looking forward to building the team,” he said.
