Wickliffe opens the 2023 season with plenty of question marks but that hasn’t stopped third-year head coach Dominic Buttari from remaining optimistic.
Buttari graduated 17 players from last year’s squad, leaving a lot of holes to fill. He’s confident his inexperienced squad will find a way to compete.
“I feel my team’s potential is limitless,” he said. “We don’t return many varsity players but all of my guys are willing to learn and work hard to improve. I know they are aiming to return to the district final.”
With so many inexperienced players, Wickliffe’s success hinges on each player staying focused and maintaining a high work rate in training and on game day.
“We graduated almost the whole varsity team from last season, losing 17 players. That being said, all of my guys are stepping up in a big way and are showing me they will be ready for the season,” Buttari said. “To be successful this season, we need to play our style of soccer. We don’t have the largest roster, but I am pleased with the progression everyone has made in the off-season. If we stick together and avoid just kicking the ball long in games, I think we can hang with the best of them.”
Buttari spent a lot of the offseason and preseason juggling his roster to find the perfect spot for each of his players.
“I spent a lot of time in the summer playing with different formations and moving kids around to find what worked best for everyone,” he said. “Since so many of our players do not have varsity experience, they have been very willing to learn and take in what I am telling them.”
