This season marks a big one for the North Hills Varsity soccer team. After reaching the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in thirteen years last season, the expectations are even higher. They hope to build on their overall 10-6-1 regular season record, and conference record of 6-5-1. However, they lost eight seniors to graduation, including leading scorer Ryan Speicher; so they will need to find offense from some other players. The team will also hoped to build on the success of then-first-year coach Jared Steigerwald; a former Indian himself, he was on the North Hills team that went to the WPIAL championship in 1999. To get an inside look with the team, an interview was done with juniors Kris McEwen and Will Huffmyer.

You guys reached the playoffs for the first time since 2001 last year, how does it feel to be part of North Hills history?

KM- “It feels like I’m doing my job.”

WH- “Blessed!”

Do you feel pressured to exceed that result this year, are expectations too high?

KM-“Yeah, we want to win states. We definitely can achieve farther than last year, but we want to go farther.”

WH- “No”

 Who is your favorite team to play against, why?

KM-“Seneca Valley, we have to give it all we got when we play them. They’re a physical team, and present a challenge. Plus, they get really mad when they are losing during a game, and it is very amusing.”

WH- “NA, don’t ask me why.”

What was your favorite memory from last season?

KM- “We were losing 2-0 to Brashear one game at the end of the first half. So during halftime, our coach came into the locker room and said, “Get pumped up!” and then he walked away. So then Brian Fulton tried to get us pumped up, which was hilarious. We came back and won the game 3-2.”

WH- “Getting spit on by Fulton whenever he would yell, ‘Indians on three!”