Wooster boys soccer thriving again with balanced play and leadership

Wooster boys soccer coach JP Lytle’s team is enjoying another strong season.

The Generals are 11-4-1 overall and finished second in the Ohio Cardinal Conference with a 6-1 record.

“It was a very competitive league this year,” Lytle said. “It seems every year our league is getting better and better. Madison won the OCC and is ranked 13th in Division III.

“Our out-of-conference schedule was very tough, which is helping us get ready mentally and physically for the playoffs. We played Granville (ranked No. 1 in Div. III), Westlake (No. 10 in Div. III) and Walsh (No. 12 in Div. II).”

Wooster is the 13th seed in its Div. II district and will open at home against Stow on Oct. 22. Wooster played to a 2-2 tie against Walsh, which is seeded fourth in its district.

“Our guys have responded after each game with the right questions, attitude, focus and intensity at practice,” Lytle said. “We keep learning and getting better. We have some great individual skill, and our team is very versatile, but our strength is in our team, and we are really starting to find that rhythm right now. The ball is zipping around the field. It’s a joy each day to be around the group and see what they bring for the day.”

Fourth-year starter Calen Relle has 17 goals and 11 assists to lead Wooster. He’s a rare third-year captain.

Senior Carter Buchholz is the goalie and has topped 70 saves for the season. He has only allowed eight goals and has three shutouts.

Senior left back Jake Vermaaten is second on the team with seven assists while classmate Tyler Hill has played right back and forward. He has five goals and three assists.

Girls soccer

Wooster entered the week 9-5-2 overall and 3-2-2 in the OCC, which was good for fourth place.

The Generals were seeded 17th out of 31 teams in their sectional/district. They will play 24th-seeded North Olmsted on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at Follis Field.

Senior center back Brooke Ritchie has been one of the team’s best players and has held down the center of the defense.

Other top performers have been junior midfielder Emma Behler (nine goals, eight assists), junior forward Ashlyn Thompson (10 goals, two assists) and senior forward Abi Strand-Fox (seven goals, three assists).

Cross country

Wooster hosted the Ohio Cardinal Conference Meet on Oct. 11, and the Generals girls finished third out of seven teams while the boys were fifth.

Lexington swept the team titles in both races.

Wooster’s girls were led by sophomore Noemi Bokrossy (20:28), senior Lila Wright (20:39) and senior Clara Mariola (20:42), who finished 12th, 13th and 14th, respectively.

Senior William Older ran a time of 16:48 to lead Wooster’s boys in 12th place.

The Generals’ next finishers came in 23-25, with sophomore Gavin Brooks (17:56), junior Joel Burgett (17:56) and senior Kade Wood (18:01) packing together.