John Montesantos
co-sports editor

For the past 23 years, GBS has hosted the Titan Invitational early in the boys’ soccer season. The Titans had always used the tournament as a “warm-up” for conference play. But for this year’s struggling young team, it meant so much more.

The year was barely underway, and the Titans were already down two games. In losing by one goal to both Rolling Meadows and Lakeview, the boys failed to capitalize.

Despite many offensive opportunities, the “snake-bitten” Titans just couldn’t finish when it came time to score. Senior midfielder Chris DeLetto knew that lack of talent was not the issue. “We had the most talented team going into each and every game, we just couldn’t put it in the back of the net,” he said.

Assistant Coach Seong Ha said, “There’s a lot of skill, there’s a lot of talent, but there’s some luck in the game.”

Head Coach Jim Wolter was not phased by the early losses and was confident in his team’s talent level. “We finished off last year on a high note. I was pretty comfortable with what we had coming back this year.”

Eight of the 19 players on the roster are seniors, five of whom are returning starters. Unfortunately, age and experience do not always come with leadership.

After the loss of his son and vocal leader Jeff to a torn ACL, Wolter was eager for someone to fill the role. So far, the on-the-field communication of defensemen Cameron Tousi and Peter Riley has impressed Wolter. Whether it was a captain or a distant back up, somebody needed to speak up. Raw talent was not going to be enough.

Before the season began, Ha was wary of a lack in this team “glue”.

“I had some optimism and some skepticism: just being pessimistic about not knowing where the pieces were going to fall,” recalled Ha.

Clearly, something clicked. The Titans brought newfound confidence to the Titan Invitational, snatching their first win in the second round from a strong Mundelein team. Sophomore sensation Nathan Park had two goals in the 3-1 victory, proving that underclassmen would need to step up this season.

After defeating Prosser in a 4-1 route, the Titans found themselves playing Stevenson for third place in the tourney. Despite a 2-1 loss, Wolter was pleased with the progress they made on way to the fourth-place finish.

“The team played with more intensity and everybody flowed off each other,” he said of the two victories.

Following the end of the Titan Invite came conference play. CSL foes Maine East and Highland Park were next, and the Titans ended up with a tie and a shutout win respectively.