The boys soccer team lost Jamie Rees to graduation last year. They lost their speed, their offensive firepower, and their best player on an otherwise unspectacular team that ended their season in KingCo districts.

Rees’s absence, however, has been unnoticeable for the first half of the season. In his stead, the team carries a certain calm, collected confidence that simply was not present last year en route to a solid above .500 start..

“The team this year benefits much more from playing as a team of 11 players, whereas last year we relied on two players [the other being graduated senior Jamie Griffin] for most of our scoring and offensive production,” says junior Chris Perkins. “A lot of the time the ball wasn’t distributed evenly, and our stars would get frustrated with the rest of the team when we werent up to par. This year there’s a more consistent skill level but also less polarizing players.”

The loss of Rees has been diminished by the addition of two foreign players, senior Do-Hee Kim and senior Øyvind Worpvik. Do-Hee, a transfer from Northwest School, played on the B U-18 team in his native Korea, and Worpvik, an exchange student from Norway, has been the team’s leading scorer thus far.

“The foreign guys have been a phenomenal addition,” says Perkins. “Regardless of the level of talent on the teams they are familiar with playing, they work just as hard as everyone else and are great teammates to have on the field.”

While the variation in quality of play has been minimal, two areas on the field seem to be performing exceptionally well. The back line, bolstered by seniors Stefan Dabroski, Paul Berggren, and Jordan Theodore “Teddy” Nakamura, has been solid as oak. Dabroski and Berggren have proven to be physical defenders and extraordinary trash-talkers, and Nakamura has been able to blind his mark with the overwhemling presence of product he puts in his hair to erect his fauxhawk.

“Our style is impetuous, our defense is impregnable, we’re ferocious, and we’ll eat your children,” says Berggren.

The other notable area of exceptional play has been left forward, manned by freshman Aaron Kovar. Despite his youth, Kovar has been a potent offensive weapon, so much so that many have dubbed him “Tony 2.0.” His ego has steadily inflated over the course of the season, a result of both his own natural ability and the Garfield crowd’s adoring whoops as he beats opponent after opponent on the sideline and whips in cross afer cross. Kovar most notably established himself as a playmaker in the 2 – 0 victory over Roosevelt, in which he curved a brilliant 35-yard into the net to clinch the game in the 69th minute.

While Kovar has earned the respect of fans and most of his teammates, Berggren remains skeptical.

“Aaron is my [female canine],” he says.

The team has developed a chemistry unseen on last year’s squad, perhaps in step with the altered style of play. It is not the sausagefest, “helicopter-in-the-shower” brand of chemistry seen on the boys swim team. This is more mellow brotherly love, with slightly more seriousness.

“This is my first year on the team,” says senior goalie Kevin Marck, “but I can still tell people are disappointed about how last season ended. Everybody on the team is focused and determined.”

Perkins attributes a loss to Woodinville early in the season to the team getting too fired up before gametime.

“Now we bump sick beats in the locker room and get in the zone,” he says.

Rees is at Harvard, and his immense skill is certainly missed by the Garfield boys soccer team, but they have managed. They have come together under the flags of unselfishness and camaraderie.

Where individual firepower has failed to arise, the team has made do with do hustle and solid defense. The season is half over, and Garfield is within striking distance of a division title.