The seventh-ranked Gibson Southern boys’ soccer team defeated Tell City in last Thursday nights’ soccer game at The Fort, 5-0. The win put an exclamation point on an already joyous night, as the team celebrated its nine seniors.

“All of the seniors were out there (playing) since it was senior night, and we’ve got two senior captains,” Titan head coach Josh Higgins said.

The boys came together to make easy work of the Marksmen, holding them scoreless. Seniors Isaac DeFelice and Mosbah Alshwikh had two goals each and senior Erick Hirsh added another. This was part of the team’s plan for the evening.

“The whole team was trying to get as many seniors as possible to score,” DeFelice said.

Despite the efforts of the team trying to place everyone in scoring position, it just didn’t materialize and proved a tougher job than expected.

“The hardest part of the game was getting all of the seniors to score,” junior Vann Rose said.

While the team did not play to the best of its abilities, senior leadership helped them to ultimately secure the win. 

“Although it might not have been the best game, you can tell the leadership on the field is what led to the victory,” Higgins said.

As the team continues to get better, Higgins said there are still a few things they need to work on this season.

“The midfield needs to work on staying tight, and playing better together,” he said.

Higgins said while they have been working on this issue at practice, they still need to continue to improve. To prepare for their match against Boonville on Monday, September 20, the boys are going to play their game and continue to work on midfield possession and movement.

While Higgins is a familiar face on the Titan’s pitch, having played for the high school during his time as a student, this is his first year as the head coach of the soccer team, replacing Chris Barthel who resigned after winning last year’s Sectional. The experience has been a good one for Higgins.

“I have really enjoyed it,” Higgins said. “As we’ve been saying all along, we have a great group of kids in general, and that starts with the seniors. Not only are they great players, but they are great individuals as well.”

Despite a successful team, Higgins does wish there were more people in the stands to support the team.

“We have a talented group overall, and we need to get some more of the friends and family from school out here to watch,” he said.