WORCESTER — With the MIAA boys soccer tournament field set to be announced Thursday, North High is hoping its season is far from over.
The Polar Bears will travel to North Middlesex Regional on Monday for a final opportunity to build momentum and sharpen their play before learning whether they have earned a postseason berth.
For North coach Andrew Koulisis, the focus is on developing team chemistry, improving offensive execution and preparing his players to compete against stronger opponents.
“We feel like we’re going to sneak into the playoffs. We’re at the bottom 32 right now.” Koulisis said. “I’ve been focusing with the boys on building for the playoffs, treating these games almost like warmups, and developing that chemistry on the field.”
The Polar Bears have shown promise throughout the season, but players acknowledge that individual talent alone won’t be enough to make a postseason run.
Senior captain Leet Leet said communication has been a strength, but the team must continue learning how to play as a unit.
“We communicate well already, so keeping that up will help us play better,” Leet said. “We’re all talented players, but we have to learn to play as a team, not individually.”
Koulisis also sees room for improvement on offense, particularly when opponents force North to adjust its approach.
“We can get stale at times offensively, so we want to focus on that,” he said. “There are times when we need to learn how to attack in different ways and not force-feed one thing that isn’t working.”
Senior captain Ricardo Bonilla, North’s valedictorian, agreed that the Polar Bears need to be more patient with the ball and create opportunities through passing rather than relying too heavily on long balls.
“We definitely could have passed a little better,” Bonilla said. “We focused on playing it over the top too much, when we could have been playing it through the ground.”
Those challenges were evident in North’s 3-1 loss to Auburn on Oct. 29. The Polar Bears rallied to tie the game in the second half before Auburn pulled away.
Despite the loss, North’s performance against an Auburn team that entered the matchup with a 13-3 record gave players reason for optimism.
“They’re truly a good team. They’re very organized and have a great coach,” Bonilla said. “This shows that we do have the capability to go up against a team like this.”
North’s second-half goal provided a boost and demonstrated the momentum the Polar Bears can generate when their offense finds a rhythm.
“When we scored our first goal, that helped us gain a lot of momentum,” Bonilla said. “I hope that before the playoffs start, we can find more rhythm and people can see that we can compete with strong teams.”
The matchup also highlighted the importance of adaptability. Leet moved from his usual forward position to a defensive role, embracing the opportunity to help his team wherever he was needed.
“I still went out there and fought until the last second, even in a different position on the field,” Leet said.
Beyond adjustments on the field, Koulisis wants his players to remain composed and committed to their approach when games become difficult.
“We try to go over it in practice as much as we can, and we want to build that culture into the boys,” Koulisis said.
Leet echoed that message, emphasizing the importance of learning from setbacks rather than dwelling on them.
“We have to keep our heads up and forget about the past, like today’s game,” Leet said. “We should take it as a lesson and learn from it moving forward.”
As the regular season draws to a close, Koulisis remains optimistic about his team’s potential.
“Hopefully in the last game we can develop more and show it in the playoffs, because we definitely have some talented players,” Koulisis said. “As a coach, I always want them to reach their maximum potential every year, and I want to see that with this group, because it’s a good group of kids.”
