When freshman goalie Daniel Puchalski was asked to temporarily leave his JV-B goalie position in order to fill in for the varsity team’s sudden lack of a goalie, he was worried, but rose to the challenge.
Freshman athletes are often not able to play on varsity sports teams, but when sophomore varsity goalie Michael Sieber suffered a sudden ankle injury not allowing him to play, Puchalski was asked to move up and fill Siebers position until he could return to the field.
“The starting keeper for varsity got injured, so he couldn’t play,” Puchalski said. “When the coaches asked me to play up I was pretty nervous, but excited to see what I could do with the opportunity.”
The Mavericks soccer season started off with a five-game preseason winning streak, but changing a goalie can cause issues. Regardless of the changes that a new goalie entails, the Mavs are still succeeding on the field. Previously losing to Westwood 5-2, the Mavs picked it up, adjusting to these changes and flipped the score, beating Westwood in their second game 5-1.
“Puchalski is doing good, but it’s still different,” junior centerback and outsideback Alejandro Hunt said. “We needed to adjust to his play style, but overall we are still doing really well despite the change.”
Although Puchalskis first Varsity game against district leading Vista Ridge ended in a 4-3 loss for the Mavericks, he showed his teammates what he could do, as well as the Head Soccer Coach Kidd.
“He gained the team’s confidence during the first game where he came up with some big saves,” Kidd said. “The goalkeeping position is tough for anyone to play, much less a freshman, Puchalski has stepped up and played well.”
Adjusting from playing JV-B to Varsity is a big jump. Puchalski said he needed to be confident in what he was doing, and remember that the coaches chose him for a reason.
“The switch to varsity has definitely made me need to mature and play better overall,” Puchalski said. “I have learned to play with a higher IQ to succeed at the varsity level, remembering to play with confidence and not be nervous.”
Younger players may lack the knowledge to play at a higher level considering the switch from middle school play to highschool, but Kidd said he picked Puchalski for a reason.
“I have been watching and monitoring Puchalskis progress since August, and I have seen his growth and improvement since day one,” Kidd said. “When the varsity starting keeper was injured I reached out to Daniel and I asked if he was ready to step up, and without hesitation, he looked me in the eyes and said ‘Yes sir,’ his response and his confidence spoke volumes.”
Another adjustment that comes from moving up, especially as a freshman, is making friends, but Puchalski said that hasn’t been an issue for him.
“My teammates have been super accepting of me and really welcoming,” Puchalski said. “It’s been a really fun experience for me so far.”
The Mavericks are currently on-route to playoffs for the first time since 2022. Bringing the Mavs five district wins, Puchalski hopes to help the team succeed in their playoff goals for the time he is goalie.
“We all really want to make it to the playoffs this year,” Puchalski said. “We are playing really well right now, so I hope we can carry this energy over for the remainder of the season.”
This change gave Puchalski an opportunity to show the coaches what he can do, paving the way to success next year.
“It was a big step up, but I knew I could handle it,” Puchalski said. “Plus it allowed me to show the coaches what I can do on the field next year, and prove I can handle the pressure and succeed.”
