by Is there anything bad to say about this flawless soccer program? The Wildcat program has been dominant under Head Coach Mike McLaughlin with a career coaching record of 493-54-53. The program will look to follow up on last year’s success after winning their 4th straight Ohio Divison One State Championship. In the National FAB 50, the team was ranked 3rd to end the year. Heading into the 2023 season the St.Ignatius Wildcats look to win their 5th straight Division One state championship. The team will be captained by Senior Nick Mikulec this year who had a dominant Junior year controlling the midfield at CDM. Mikulec was the only non-senior that started on last year’s state championship-winning squad and was a big part of the team’s success. During the season the Wildcats will be traveling to Iowa for the Great River Classic tournament. They’ll be playing Marquette University HS from Wisconsin and Naperville North from Illinois.
Is the Lack of Seniors a problem?
St. Ignatius squads in the past have been very senior/junior-heavy. For the upcoming season, the Wildcats will only have five seniors and six juniors. With the only returning starter in Nick Mikulec, the Wildcats will have to rely on younger players with not as much experience. St. Ignatius’s players are on very talented club teams and have been competing against the best of the best though. So this team shouldn’t have too many issues but with players not having a lot of varsity playing time, I do expect some hiccups along the way.
Schedule Preview
The Wildcats love to challenge themselves by playing competitive opponents year after year. Let’s look at the toughest matchup on the schedule to start. The last game of the season will be a rematch against Dublin Jerome who only had 3 losses last season. St. Ignatius escaped 1-0 in a close one last season and we can see this rematch at Wasmer Field this time. On September 13th the Wildcats will take on Western Reserve Academy. WRA is a very talented team with a very impressive win over Medina last year 3-1. This matchup is also a rematch from last year when Ignatius won at home 3-1. And the last one is against St.Louis University High School on September 22nd. The private all-boys school from Missouri had a record of 13-5 last year and is going to give the Wildcats some trouble.
Ones to Watch
St. Ignatius has always had amazing talent all over the pitch but I’m going to be specifically looking at two players. First is Senior Colin Monroe, he is the starting goalkeeper this year and has been on varsity for three years now. Colin has the experience and will be a crucial part of this team’s success. Another player to watch is Senior Nick Trivisonno. Nick is the starting forward and is entering his 2nd season on the varsity squad. According to Nick Mikulec, “he is an intimidating attacker with a ton of skill to put the ball in the back of the net.” Trivisonno and Monroe are both in crucial roles for this team and will have to step up every game for this team to have a chance to make it back to the state championship game.
Bottom Line
St.Ignatius soccer has been a dominant program for a long time now that showcases amazing talent every year. There is a lot of pressure on Nick Mikulec who has an amazing opportunity to showcase his leadership. I see the Wildcats making noise in the playoffs again and potentially making it back to Columbus. I’d never count out an amazing coaching staff and when you have Coach McLaughlin on your side it is a big advantage. No one would be surprised if the Wildcats win another State Championship.
