Pulaski’s journey ends before the finals

The  #6-seeded Homestead Highlanders traveled to Pulaski on Thursday night, where the Red Raiders’ season came to an end in a hard-fought 1–0 loss, just shy of the sectional finals.

It was a tough way to close out what had been a strong season, but Head Coach Jeff Schneider, who’s been leading the program for a decade now, spoke proudly of his team after the game. “I think we battled from start to finish. There’s some moments in the game that I think we’d like to have back, but it’s part of high school sports and athletics, not everything goes your way,” Schneider said after the match. He talked about how this year’s group entered the season with fewer expectations, but they continued to surprise people and meet their goals along the way. “To be in this game – I was proud of their effort all season and tonight,” he said. With nine seniors graduating, Schneider took a moment to reflect on what they’ve meant to the program. “Anytime you graduate and the season ends, you graduate a senior class and you’re losing players that you love. I’m gonna miss something about each one of them and as a group they had a really good 4 year run here.” The emotion in his words about this senior class doesn’t go unnoticed. Still, Schneider made sure to credit them for upholding the culture Pulaski soccer is known for. “I think they held our standard of soccer here at Pulaski, they did a great job this year.”

When asked to sum up the season as a whole, Schneider didn’t hesitate. “I think resilience comes to mind, I think determined, I think that we embodied those things. As a young team you have to.” He mentioned that the team lost a lot of talent from last year’s roster, but he was proud of how they stepped up despite that. “We may not have had as much talent, but I think we played as well as we did last year, we advanced farther in the playoffs. So, resilience and determination. Pulaski soccer.” Senior Josh Aranda also reflected on the night, sharing what stood out most to him about his team’s effort. “Tonight we played very well, we put in a lot of pressure. Our defense played really well,” he said. When asked what he personally could have improved on this season, Aranda was honest. “I feel like I could’ve worked more on putting my shots on target.” Still, he was proud of his own growth, adding, “My biggest improvement on the season was applying more pressure.”

Although Pulaski’s season came to a close with a tough loss before the sectional finals, there’s no shortage of pride in what the Red Raiders accomplished. Finishing with a 10-7-4 record, Pulaski proved they could compete with the best, showcasing grit, growth, and teamwork all year long. From clutch wins to unforgettable moments on the field, the Red Raiders made a statement not just in the standings, but in the heart and determination they played with every match.