As the Normal West boys soccer team finishes up their regular season at 12-11, they are getting set to head into the postseason.

The Wildcats have been hit with many obstacles throughout their season by player injuries including Senior captains Noah Conrad with a sprained MCL and Tyler Mora with a partially torn knee.

With these injuries, the team was forced to adjust their plans and move players around to different positions.

Head Coach Valentine Walker is looking forward to the challenge that the Wildcats are facing with the postseason looming, and he is optimistic that his team is ready.

“Going to play the number one seed in a sub-sectional will be challenging, but we are prepared and optimistic. The guys are up for it,” Walker states.

And although the boys are ready, there are some unpredictable challenges (including the injuries mentioned above) that the team is facing, as well.

“Feelings on going into postseason are shaky, because one of our best players is out with a knee injury, and people are dealing with different sickness, but if we all get healthy, I think we can do something in regionals,” Senior Noah Conrad adds.

Their initial goal at the beginning of the season was to win everything, a goal that every team has. And although the team is still in pursuit of this overall goal, Walker is happy with the team’s progress.

“Because we are so young and still improving I am very pleased with our overall achievements,” Walker states.

Even with a young group full of underclassmen who are still learning and growing, Walker notes that the team peaks at “just the right time.”

As the Wildcats work to improve for the post season, their time off the field is very important to them as well. Tournaments or out-of-state-games players get together at the end to have dinner, giving them time to connect and grow closer to each other.

The dinners are said to be what most of the players remember at the end of season.

“Team dinners just help us get closer and get to know our teammates better,” Senior Andy Lopez Perez mentions.

In fact, the dinners also pose a bit of motivation for the team as it serves as an opportunity for underclassmen to get to spend more time with the seniors.

“I’m a senior, and I talk to friends or like freshmen or like sophomores [at the team dinners], and they’re going to want to try harder for us to win, so then I can spend more time with them and our season won’t end early. Team dinners help with that because we like to eat together, talk about anything, and just have fun,” Lopez Perez adds.

Every player has a role in the success of the team going into the postseason, whether its on the field or a part of the team camaraderie at team dinners.

The Wildcats will battle in their first regional game held at Normal West against Pekin on Saturday October 19th at 10 a.m.