Boys ready to hit the field

The Bigfork boys soccer program may have graduated four solid seniors in June, but with 12 newcomers to the team, the Vikings are hoping to surpass the success of their predecessors.

This is the 10th year that Bigfork High School has had a boys and girls soccer program, and boys head coach Keith Koslosky is leading his program for the fifth year.

Koslosky gives a lot of credit to the Bigfork Bandits soccer program, which he said has helped the older levels grow and prosper.

"Kids are coming through with good basic skills and an improved knowledge of the game," Koslosky said of the results of the Bandits. "I believe with those qualities we'll be versatile and flexible this season."

The Numbers

Up and comers

The Vikings have nine freshmen out for this year's team. There are four juniors, two of which are new to the program — Kaleb Mattweg, a transfer student, and Curtis Jochen. There are four sophomores returning to the team, though that group lost sophomore Austin Jordt, who played at goalie and on the field last year, to the Vikings football team.

There are five seniors on Bigfork's boys soccer team. Returning to finish out their high school careers are Fabian Zavala, Dyan Reichenbach, Nate Roberson and John Lyon. Newcomer Mike Frizzell has also signed on to the team for his final year of school.

Family ties

This year's freshmen recruits may look familiar to fans, as three of the nine are younger siblings of last year's players. Joining the team are Bryce MacCallum, the younger brother of 2010 graduate Alec, Jorge Zavala, the younger brother of senior Fabian, and Steven Lyon, John's younger brother.

Injury Report

Good to go

Barring any immediate future mishaps and bypassing any threat of speaking to soon, the Bigfork boys will start the season off without any major injuries.

Solid strengths

Fast on their feet

Although the team is comprised of mostly younger players, they are nearly as quick on the field as past teams that have had older, stronger players. They are also showing a lot of promise in following Koslosky's directions

"They're coachability is incredible," Koslosky said. "It seems to be a really great group of kids and they work very hard."

Back in the goal

The Vikings are thankful to have their goalkeeper back from last season. Roberson will again be taking care of the responsibilities in the net.

"He'll be strong," Koslosky said of having Roberson as his goalie for the second year in a row.

Work in Progress

Same page

With so many new boys on the field, Koslosky has his hands full getting them all up to speed. The boys will have to work hard to compete for playing time, though, which should help push them to work hard and stay focused.

Potential to break off

Koslosky is currently working with Bigfork High School activities director Matt Porrovecchio on potentially scheduling some junior varsity games with other schools. This will give some of his younger and less experienced players more playing time.

The Offseason

Field time

Seven of the 22 boys on team played spring competitive soccer and several of them attended open field times over the summer. The time they put in was evident as Koslosky has noted during the first weeks of practice.

Coach Talk

Goal in mind

After missing a spot in the playoffs last year, Koslosky would like to see his boys advance again into the postseason as they did two seasons ago. However, he has larger goals for them as well.

"I want these kids to have a good time and enjoy the game," Koslosky said. "I want them to see constant improvement in themselves."

Family assist

Mike Daniels has returned to assist Koslosky for his third year. Koslosky has some additional help as well, in the form of his son Kyle, a 2009 graduate of Flathead High School.

"He's a great kid and it is a treat for me to be back on the field with him," Koslosky said.

Looking Back

The 2009 season

The Vikings soccer team had a strong start to its season last year, but the success dropped off midway through the season. Ultimately, the boys finished with a 2-4-2 record. The previous year they made it to the second round of the state playoffs. This year three teams will advance to the state playoffs from the Northwest A Conference, as is the case most years. Every third year only two teams advance, which was the situation last year.

The Road Ahead

Coach's view

"I expect the conference to be very competitive," Koslosky said. "If we take care of us, we are going to be right in the thick of it."

Game time

The Vikings will start their season off with an away game in Columbia Falls, which will count as a conference matchup. That will put some added pressure on the game since typically a team's first game is a non-conference competition. Bigfork will travel to Columbia Falls for that game, which has a 3 p.m. scheduled start time, on Tuesday, Aug. 31. The boys will host their first home game at 4 p.m. next Friday, Sept. 3, when Laurel visits.