“The (Westtown School) boys varsity soccer team has never gone back-to-back FSL Championships, so we’ll make history if we do. That’s something that motivates me and the team,” said team captain, Santiago Chacon Amaya ‘26.
As a preview of October 29th’s FSL championship game, against big rival Shipley, being held on Raiford Field at 2:45pm, The Brown and White held an interview with the team’s four captains and Head Coach, Shane Rineer. The leaders of the team were focused on one thing: winning.
“We’re at the point where, excluding states, any one of these games could be our last. And I think that really motivates us,” team captain Francisco Benbow ‘25 pointed out.
The game tomorrow will be the last Friends League fixture for all of the seniors on the team.
“I know a lot of the guys have talked about it [the game] and all of them are just super focused on the winning aspect of it,” team captain Callum Eager ‘26 said. Eager also pointed out that confidence is key going into a fixture as massive as this one.
Eager and other players were praised by coach Rineer.
“[Santiago Chacon Amaya has] played five, six different positions…Mariano’s just come back from injury…Callum has stepped into a major role, taking leadership within the back line…Francisco has held everything down,” Rineer said. All four captains received immense praise from their coach and it’s clear to see that the team gels together quite well.
Another theme that also came up multiple times in interviews was the idea of being “the team of the decade.” Coach Shane brought it up the first time, referencing Shipley’s recent dominance of the FSL. Mariano Alonso Mendoza ’26 believes that it would be huge for the community if the boys won, marking a new era in the league.
“I think the fact that we’re going back to back, this should be the start of our decade,” Mendoza said.
