By Terry Boehmker
NKy Tribune sports reporter
After their team’s historic accomplishment last year, Covington Catholic soccer coach Jeremy Robertson and his returning players are finding out what it’s like to be defending state champions.
“I wouldn’t call it pressure, but everybody is watching you,” Robertson said. “It’s not just about the players, it’s about the coaching staff and our program as a whole. Can we still win the region and make it to the state playoffs after losing 18 guys?”
CovCath soccer coach Jeremy Robertson
With 18 seniors on the roster and nine in the starting lineup, CovCath became the first Northern Kentucky boys’ soccer team to win a state championship last October. But none of those veterans were on the field Monday when the Colonels started practice for the 2016 season.
CovCath’s only returning starters are senior midfielder Stephen Schutt and senior forward Griffin Lamb, who will be one of the team captains. Most of the other players in the program have little or no varsity experience.
“We want to be really positive this season, but we also want to make sure everyone knows that it’s going to take a lot of hard work,” Lamb said. “Our motto last year was ‘No Days Off’ and that’s really what it was, we all just pushed through until the end. Our underclassmen need to realize that and not take any days off this season to get as many wins as we can.”
Lamb had a lot to do with CovCath’s success last season. He finished with 18 goals and 13 assists in his first year as a varsity starter. In the state playoffs, he scored two goals in the semifinals and two more in his team’s 3-0 win over Lexington Henry Clay in the championship game.
CovCath senior forward Griffin Lamb
“Lamb had an exceptional year,” Robertson said. “He was probably one of the state’s most underrated players because of what we had surrounding him. We just had a lot of good guys with experience. But he scored a lot of goals and really helped us in the playoffs.”
Creating a new offensive attack to take advantage of Lamb’s scoring skills is one of the team’s challenges during preseason practice. The Colonels must also rebuild their defensive backline and find a new goalkeeper.
“One thing I told these guys in our winter meetings is the opportunity is there for you,” Robertson said. “You can do the math and see that. We lost a lot of starters so the opportunity is there, whether or not they want to grab it is up to them.”
Senior defender Michael Vogt is the CovCath player with the most varsity experience at that end of the field. He improved more than anyone else in the program last season, according to Robertson.
The coach is counting on this year’s varsity newcomers to follow Vogt’s example and develop the skills the Colonels needs to be a playoff contender once again this year.
“We’re going to have our work cut out for us, not just the players but the coaching staff as well,” Robertson said. “There’s going to be a learning curve. We’re just looking for that good consistent play and our young guys have to step up to that.”
The Colonels will open the season on Aug. 16 with a home game against St. Henry. The schedule also includes six games against some of the top programs in Ohio and a road trip to Louisville Trinity, the team they knocked off in the state quarterfinals last year.
The challenging schedule was put in place to mold a CovCath team that’s capable of making another run at the state title when the playoffs begin in October.
“It’s a daunting task to try and show everyone it wasn’t just a one-time thing and we’re here to stay as a powerhouse,” Lamb said. “As long as we keep putting in the work we need to put in, I think we can ride the wave from last year and do great things again.”
