Undefeated for two years. Unscored upon last year. Back-to-back champions. Three championships in the last four seasons. It’s safe to say Cistercian Soccer has had a run for the ages. However, despite this extraordinary amount of success, the Hawks face their toughest challenge this year.
This is because the SPC (Southwest Preparatory Conference) realigned their 3A and 4A divisions to be based strictly on school size, rather than quality of the team. Thus, the two worst 3A teams (St. Stephen’s and Houston Christian) went up to 4A and three good teams dropped down to 3A: Awty, St. Andrew’s, and John Cooper. Even more terrifying, Awty played in last year’s 4A Championship and barely lost to Houston Episcopal. With Awty’s arrival, as well as the return of ESD and FWCD, Cistercian has plenty of obstacles to a three-peat.
That being said, the Hawks are returning almost all of their team. The biggest losses are last-year senior captains Patrick Garda, a winger, and Michael Peterman, our brick wall of a center back. Using his speed and strength, Michael proved unbeatable as the last line of defense and Garda provided an attacking threat out on the left.
Although the Hawks have lost their ’24 guys, the team played futsal together over the summer and developed greater chemistry among themselves. Throughout the summer and so far this season, Coach Walsh has been able to play guys in different positions and try different systems so as to best play to our team’s strengths.
The Hawks’ back line is mostly the same as last year and is built around the All-SPC junior defenders Jacob Liu, Raad Nino, and Patrick Sporl. Sporl is replacing the role of Michael Peterman at center back. Sporl’s partner will be Nino—this dynamic duo both excel on the ball and can break down defenses extremely well, while also each being great defenders.
The outside backs are Jacob Liu on the left and Will McHugh on the right. Liu excels on the left flank, always being an outlet for the Hawks as they work the ball around the field. Additionally, Liu has a masterful through ball which he curves with his inside left, almost always playing the left winger or forward into space. McHugh, on the other side, is a force. His running back build allows him to chase down opponents and muscle his way to the ball. Over the last year, Will has grown in his technical skills, now being a greater asset in possession.
The man between the sticks for Cistercian is sophomore Mateo Maalouf. His shot-stopping is excellent, often diving across goal to make some spectacular saves. However, Mateo was not tested a whole lot last year thanks to an amazing line in front of him—thus, teams this year may be unaware of just how good a shot stopper he is. Beyond his saves, Mateo’s ability to use his feet allows Cistercian to build out of the back and creates an outlet for the defense if they are ever in trouble. Mateo is so good on the ball that he could easily play the field. Mateo is backed up by senior Cash Lechler, who is a good keeper in his own right, being able to fill in whenever needed and doing a fantastic job.
In addition to the defense, the Cistercian Hawks midfield is led by senior captain Marc Maalouf, who is a four-year starter and the heart of the team. Marc is the unquestioned leader of the group and pushes everyone to be their best every day. Alongside Marc are junior Dean Nevitt, the “baby-faced assassin” and sophomore Alberto “Baby Berto” Macher. Nevitt plays with Marc as a center-defensive midfielder. They form a dynamic duo capable of outworking even the most talented of opponents. And don’t let his size fool you—Dean is extremely strong and often outmuscles opponents for the ball, allowing Cistercian to regain possession. Alberto plays the central-attacking midfield and is our creative player in the midfield, setting up the forwards to score. Expect to see a better Berto than last year, as he played through a broken back and a “booty brace” his freshman season. The guy is tough.
The attackers for Cistercian this year are senior Brock Harrod, sophomore Charlie Kane, and juniors Dylan “KWAL” Kowalski, Andrew Novoa, and Fernando Peña. Brock is a strong central forward who has good skill along with the ability to hold the ball for Cistercian as they look to attack, using his frame to fend off defenders. Charlie Kane is new to the team this year and has great potential, as he is 6’2″ and very strong. This year, Kane will no doubt get valuable experience and develop into a lethal threat by the time SPC rolls around. KWAL returns this year after having made an impact playing up top as a sophomore. This year, however, he is taking on a more versatile role for Coach Walsh, playing wing and center forward if needed. Over the last year, he has improved technically and looks to take the next step as a player. Andrew Novoa is the backbone of the offense, having grabbed 12 assists last year as a right winger. Andrew has the best footwork on the team and uses it to his benefit, often leaving defenders behind. He’s already grabbed a nice brace against the Highlands. Lastly, Fernando Peña returns to the team to make up for lost time. After starting off really well last year, Fernando suffered a knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the season. He is looking to use his great speed (21 MPH Club member, if you know, you know) and aggressiveness to leave defenders in the dust and rack up some goals. Other assets include junior James Eaton, whose greatest strength is serving balls from the wing and aiding in buildup play, which he did in a gorgeous goal against Bishop Dunne ending with a Marc Maalouf shot. Lastly, but certainly not least, is Christian Ndeda, who uses his technical ability, particularly his left foot, to create chances for the Hawks, but also building out of the back, as he has played left back and wing.
Besides all these guys, the most significant change from the team last year is the return of senior John Peterman, who sadly wasn’t able to play a single game last year due to head and back injuries. This year, Johnny is a swiss-army knife. He can play in the back, on the wing, or up top. Peterman’s versatility is centered on his great speed and athleticism. Against McKinney Christian, Peterman started out as left back but moved up to left wing and quickly grabbed a goal. Coach Walsh is going to use Johnny in different positions, so keep your eye out.
New to the team this year are seniors Ariel Santiago and Pietro Miele, both hard workers and members of the program for a long time. The team also has a few new juniors: Jack Landis, Christian Oh, and Brett Sharp. There are a few swing players this year as Walsh looks to the future: junior Federico Elizondo, sophomores Andrew Davis, James Hays, and Jacob Green and lastly freshman Adam Novoa.
Cistercian has a grueling schedule, with a marquee matchup against Bishop Lynch on December 6th, sure to be a test heading into SPC play beginning in January. The key to success for the Hawks is to stay healthy and to push ourselves to our limits and if these things happen, a third championship is on the cards.