By: Julianne Micoleta

Two years ago, senior captain Conor Murphy was part of the 2010 Mid Suburban League (MSL) East champion outfit that did not enjoy the best of times last fall, struggling to find its form one year after losing 14 players from its history making club.

This season, Murphy stands as the only player back from the 2010 team looking to restore his team to its former glory.

“The highlight of my soccer career at Elk Grove was winning regionals my sophomore year against Conant,” Murphy said. “I’m trying to push this year’s team so we can experience that again this year.”

Compared to the 2010 team, coach Joe Bush says that the level of hard work this season is incomparable to past years.

“I think this group is more connected to one another, and there’s not as much pure talent, but they certainly work harder together,” Bush said.

However with a 2-1-3 record, Bush cites that the biggest weakness the boys are facing right now is their ability to execute.

“Well with three ties, I don’t think we’ve played well when we’ve gotten a lead,” Bush said. “I think that we get a lead and we get real comfortable and we think that the game’s over, but they still need to play for 80 minutes to make sure we finish teams off.”

Conversely, Bush thinks that their biggest strength right now is the team’s compatibility.

“Everyone is just on the same page,” Bush said. “Everyone has one common goal, there’s really no individuals. No one really cares who scores; we all just want to win together.

However, a notable goal recently was that of Murphy’s overtime goal against cross-town rival Conant.

“That overtime goal was incredible,” Murphy said. “The only thought going through my head when I got that ball was ‘win this game,’ and it was a great experience for me and my team to put down Conant.”

With the memory of the 2010’s regional win against Conant fresh on his mind; Bush hopes that Murphy’s goal and the team’s big win against Conant will motivate the team to win.

“When we look at the whole season that might turn out to be a turning point,” Bush said. “Hopefully we can springboard off of that and start getting more wins and getting away from ties.”

Going ahead into the season, Murphy hopes to improve his leadership skills, bring his team closer together and ultimately win as much as possible.

“I would just like to improve my leadership skills and bring my team closer as the season continues so we remain a family and win as one,” Murphy said.

And according to Bush, leadership is key to winning.

“I think that Conor’s been a great leader thus far,” Bush said. “And he’s motivated the younger players and I think that you can’t win unless you have a defined leader and he’s done that right now.”

For Murphy, this means leading the team to the same level of success the 2010 team experienced.

“It makes me feel proud that my team believes and listens to me,” Murphy said. “But even more, they trust me to lead them to great places.”