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11/01/2021 12:00 AMThe Westbrook boys’ soccer team’s 2021 season was the definition of progress. After starting the year with losses in six of their first seven games, the Knights played much better down the stretch and finished their campaign by notching two wins and two ties in their final four contests.
Westbrook finished with a record of 4-10-2 after defeating Harding in its season finale last week. Head Coach Derek Hanssen feels extremely proud of his athletes for the way they battled through adversity during the year.
“In a difficult Shoreline Conference, the team performed well and competed. It was clear from the team’s play that as the season progressed, they better understood how to play as a team,” Coach Hanssen said. “While the offensive attack was limited in the first half of the year, as the team moved into its final three weeks, things began to click, and goal-scoring opportunities increased.”
Coach Hanssen said that Westbrook’s turnaround was led by junior attacking midfielder Henrik Gustafson and sophomore striker Doug Perrone-Gray. Both athletes scored a goal for the Knights when they earned a 4-0 home win over Harding in their last game of the year on Oct. 28. Sophomore Derick Novillo netted a pair of goals for Westbrook in the victory. Junior goalkeeper Ryan Engels made two saves to help Coach Hanssen’s club finish its year on a high note.
“Watching the team begin to mesh and figure out our system was refreshing,” said Hanssen. “We had a practice in the first week of October, which our attacking players just clicked in and, from point on, the team began to play much better. The overall group from freshmen to seniors are great kids, and each day was enjoyable. They almost always had a positive attitude and wanted to get better every day.”
Westbrook was captained by senior Jonah Freund and junior Jacob Perreault during the 2021 season. Freund and Perreault both played the center back position for the Knights.
“Jonah and Jacob were the team’s center defenders and led an overall strong defense for the team,” Hanssen said. “Jonah at times can be a dominant defender, and his presence on and off the field will be missed next season.”
Hanssen also praised Gustafson and Perrone-Gray for their solid offense this year.
“Henrik joined the team this season as an exchange student from Germany. He brought great offensive skill to the team and experience in the European style of play,” said Hanssen. “Doug was our most dangerous threat on offense.”
Coach Hanssen feels optimistic about the future of his program, especially since many of next year’s returning players were only sophomores this season. Hanssen is looking forward to having Engels back in net for his senior year.
“Together, this group of sophomores gained valuable experience and will be important varsity players again next season,” Hanssen said. “Ryan is our most valuable player. He is an athletic and disciplined keeper that single-handedly kept us in a number of games with spectacular performances against Portland and Cromwell.”
Westbrook’s roster for the 2021 season featured senior captain Jonah Freund; seniors Kyle Maulucci and Justin Tapia; junior captain Jacob Perreault; juniors Ryan Engels, Carlos Rosado, Grant Libeson, Jonathan Brajczewski, Henrik Gustafson, Michael von Ehr, Michael Valiante, and Lucas Bennett; sophomores John Freund, Elliot Koplas, Kevin Villeda Garcia, Jonathan Gabriel Bermeo Molina, Derick Novillo, Jack Ford, John Heringer, Doug Perrone-Gray, and Javier Paredes; and freshmen Luis Lamas-Carreto, Joseph Lucero, Charles Anderson.
Coach Hanssen said that he loved working with his players this season and will always appreciate the efforts of the seniors for building a solid foundation for future campaigns.
“It was a great group of kids, and I really enjoyed every day I was able to join them on the field for a practice or a game,” said Hanssen. “We will miss the graduating seniors. We have a very strong group of underclassmen coming back next year. The next steps will be ensuring that the players have an offseason plan and take advantage of the opportunities to improve, get stronger, and faster.”