The Unified soccer team is gearing up for their home opener against Dover on Wednesday, 9/25 at 3:30 pm. The team looks to bounce back after losing their first game at Keene last week.
Although battling out a win against Dover would be awesome for the team, this year’s team brings a fun-first mentality. Even if they lose on the scoreboard, a high level of fun and teamwork would count as a win just as much.
Although the first game didn’t look great on paper, third year head coach Cam Calato was very optimistic about his team’s performance. “The first game actually did go our way. We lost 8-2 but we played amazing. We can’t be too focused on winning. We have to just play the game and look at who had success,” he said.
For the Dover game especially, the final score is not the biggest concern for Calato’s team. Instead, he’s looking for the team to settle in and get more comfortable on the ball. Something he’s hoping to improve on from the Keene game is to get everybody to touch the ball on every shift.
Calato is not the only one apart of this year’s team who recognizes this. Partner Jack Smith (‘25) agrees saying this year’s mentality is a lot different than it was in 2022 when they went to the state championship. “The point of the team is that the athletes enjoy it. Not a single one of them were unhappy with the first games result,” he said.
While the focus is on the athlete’s enjoyment, unified sports bring in all different levels of skill, so they value every minute of practice time they have. “We’ve been working on all different parts of the game: passing shooting, scoring. We’ve seen improvement,” said Calato.
With an excited crowd, the fan section has a chance of making an impact for the Bobcats. Mason Gingras (‘26), who’s been watching unified soccer since that championship game in 2022, is hoping to be there and support his school. “[Unified soccer] is such a good thing for everyone who has passion for the sport […] I’m hoping to be loud for the team and cheering them on.”
Mairtin Sweetman (‘25) has been a big presence in the fan section for both boys’ and girls’ soccer this season, and is hoping to do the same for unified. “I’m going to be decked out in blue and black apparel and showing my support,” Sweetman said.
Be sure to head to the ORHS turf on Wednesday to watch their big game against Dover!
– Kevin Kell
Images courtesy of Lily Fitzgerald
Mouth of the River 
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