PREVIEW: Lake boys soccer

Lake head coach Chad Lillich hopes that his program’s rebuilding efforts last year pay dividends.

“Last year, we had about 24 guys get varsity experience,” he said. “We were looking to try to build depth back into the program. We still have some guys that are juniors, but they don't have a lot of varsity experience. That was pretty much our goal — to keep things going, get the guys back on the pitch, and get as much playing time as we possibly can for those guys, so they could gain some experience. Hopefully all of that pays off this season.”

The Flyers finished 11-6-1 overall last year, including a 5-1 record in NBC play. Six seniors graduated from that team, including Preston Snyder, Mitchell Maguire, Mason Sneed, Delfino Garcia, Andrew Solomon and Thomas Oehlers.

Snyder was a First Team All-District selection, while he joined Maguire, Sneed and Oehlers as First Team All-NBC honorees, as well. Solomon earned honorable mention recognition.

“We're going to have to be more team-based-scoring this year,” Lillich said.

In addition to Snyder’s offensive prowess, Maguire served a key role as the team’s starting goalkeeper. In his place, sophomore Nolan Pieper will take over full-time in the net. He filled in for Maguire to help the Flyers claim a sectional title win over Genoa last year, and Lillich has high expectations for him.

“Nolan’s going to be one of the top goalies in the league and in the district,” he said. “He's that good. He’s got some size. He’s just technically very good. He understands positional play. He's gained a lot more confidence coming into this year with his vocal commands of the defenders.”

Lake returns two seniors: forward Evan Barta and midfielder Brayden Arndt-Schimmel. Sophomore forward Zeke Ackerman also returns, as does much of the midfield, including junior Keegan Perry.

Freshman Jack Byington will also see time at midfield, bringing a considerable amount of travel experience.

“He’s very smart on the ball, understands the game,” Lillich said.

Lillich is also high on reigning Second Team All-NBC selection Gabe Sarabia, the team’s returning center back.

“He's probably our heart and soul of the team,” he said. “He's by far our best defender. He will have a huge season for us.”

The Flyers lost a lot off the back line from last year, and Lillich said they’ll have some key battles for playing time there, but he said they have nearly 30 players in the program, and he has high hopes for this year.

“We can make a good push for the league title as long as we stay healthy, stay disciplined, and just keep looking at one game at a time,” he said. “We can’t look too far ahead.”

In the second year of his second tenure with Lake, Lillich enters his 12th year overall with the Flyers after leading the program from 2008-17.