The summer months rolled by in the blink of an eye, and before we knew it, the last week of August arrived at Northwood School, bringing with it the boys’ soccer team. Since the program’s inception in the fall of 2018, it has been a tradition for boys’ soccer to arrive on campus a week before all other students. The purpose of this? To test the players both physically and mentally before delving into the season that runs nonstop from the first week of school until graduation.

On the evening of arrival day, players met for a program meeting as well as some light scrimmages on the turf. These events were for everyone to get to know each other before the real work began. The next morning, 7 A.M. sharp to be exact, the boys were out on the field again, but this time it was not in the name of fun and games. Both the U17 and U19 teams were subjected to the beep test, in which players perform 20-yard shuttle runs with increasing intensity until failure. It’s safe to say that, after this, exhaustion became a common trait among all players. The rest of Tuesday was quite relaxing, and the teams ended the day with light training.

The next morning was the same as the prior, only this time the teams loaded onto the minibuses and paid a visit to the Lake Placid track, where a two-mile test would take place. “I think that the fitness exams are one of the most important pieces of the preseason schedule; they not only allow the coaches to see how much preparation you have done, but they also show the players where they are at within the program,” Coach Jose Coss said. The day continued just as the rest had, with training and an early bedtime for the exhausted troops.

Thursday, however, was a new day, with new challenges both physical and mental. The team had their summer reading test on the book “Chop Wood Carry Water,” in which a young boy named John goes on a journey to become a samurai archer. The boys strained their brains for two hours in discussions and exam sessions before exiting the lecture hall, heading straight onto the buses again. However, this time there was no daunting fitness test ahead. Instead, as a form of team bonding, the coaches had booked a paintball trip for the whole program. The program was split into 6 teams of 8, and countless battles ensued. “Although Ashton’s team severely demoralized my team, everyone put in a great effort, and it is the most fun I’ve had in my 4 years here at Northwood,” said senior forward Hamish Riddell. The paintball experience was amazing, and all the players enjoyed it thoroughly; however, on the way back to school, the players all realized it was time to focus, as their first test of the year, a scrimmage against St. Michael’s College, was the next afternoon, and it would certainly test their mettle.

For the first time all week, the team got to sleep in; they got Friday brunch, had a meeting, and then the U19s headed for Burlington, VT to play St. Michael’s. The weather was terrible, and the chemistry of the team was still a work in progress; however, the Huskies fought hard, and although they were defeated, they came away from the game with many learning points, which they applied the next day in their match against the Hoosac School, where they earned their first win of the season, 3-2. Will German ’27, Hamish Riddell ’26, and Davor Kriukov ’26 added goals to the tally in many different fashions. German got to the end of a brilliant cross from James Martin ’26 and put the team ahead just 5 minutes into the match. That was shortly followed up by a thunderous strike off a free kick by Hamish Riddell. Lastly, in what ended up being the match winner, first-year senior from Chile, Davor Kriukov, sprinted forward and slammed the ball into the top corner, emphatically securing a Husky victory in Poughkeepsie.

Overall, the preseason was full of ups and downs, yet the team is better for them. They now enter their season as a well-oiled machine, ready to have the best year possible both on and off the field together.