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12/11/2019 11:00 PMSebastian Kadlof was surprised when he heard his name announced as a starter for the Morgan boys’ soccer team prior to the Huskies’ season opener against Valley Regional. Sebastian had just begun high school as a freshman a few days earlier, but he promptly earned a starting spot for Morgan, and got to compete alongside his older brother Alex, a senior.
“On the bus ride to Valley, I kept thinking that it would be nice to play maybe 10 minutes in the game,” says Sebastian. “I thought that if worse came to worse, I’d plead with [Head Coach Ross Demay] just to get in the game.”
Sebastian, a central midfielder, started the first three games of the year before pulling one of his hamstrings. While that injury hampered Sebastian, Coach Demay was pleased with the freshman’s contributions and believes he has a bright future ahead him.
“Sebastian is a very intelligent player. You don’t see too many freshmen like him who are able to come in and start. He was varsity ready,” Demay says. “After he got hurt, he got to play a few minutes here and there. I’m convinced that once he grows a little, you’ll see him as an All-Stater.”
Sebastian’s parents, Bogdan and Dunita, are natives of Poland. His dad started playing soccer at an early age, and Sebastian and Alex also gravitated toward the sport when they were youngsters.
Like his brother, Sebastian progressed through the youth and middle school ranks in Clinton. He also plays soccer for the Connecticut Rush, a travel team based out of Madison.
“It was fun growing up in my family,” says Sebastian. “I’ve always had the confidence, but the move from the middle school, where we were the big dogs, to high school was pretty big for me to make. All of a sudden, I was playing against older boys with mustaches and beards.”
Sebastian and the Huskies earned a share of their second-straight Shoreline Conference title by playing Old Saybrook to a 2-2 tie in the league’s championship game. Morgan then advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class M State Tournament on its way to finishing with an overall record of 15-3-3.
“I thought we had a very good season, because the team moved up from Class S to M for the year,” Sebastian says. “It was a solid season. Our team was built on the good relationships that were developed between the players. I made some great new friends and we bonded well.”
Coach Demay says that Sebastian displays skills that go beyond his years on the soccer pitch.
“Sebastian is about 5-foot-4 and his brother is 6-3, but he’s already a strong player, one who has very good vision for the field,” says Demay. “He’s able to hold his own in the midfield and distribute the ball.”
Sebastian knows that he still has a lot to learn about soccer. Sebastian plans on working hard so he can master the midfield and make a big impact for Morgan the next three years.
“I want to be able to switch the ball better, to move it from one foot to the other,” Sebastian says. “As a midfielder, you really need to study the other teams’ defensive alignments. You’re the player that really needs to be a quarterback out there.”