Cassville to put future focus on finishing

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

Though it was the first single-digit win season since 2021, the Cassville boys soccer team experienced a season marked by growth, resilience and a foundation for the future.

“I think overall, we had a good season,” said Curtis Ray, Cassville boys soccer coach. “The record, you know, 9-13, some people look at that and think maybe we didn’t, but we had a lot of younger players, so we had a lot of development and we were in a lot of close games.”

In his first year at the helm, Ray said the margin between wins and losses was razor-thin in nearly half the games in which the Wildcats fell.

“We lost six games by one goal or less, and two went to PKs, so we were in the thick of it in pretty much every game we played,” Ray said. “Overall it was still a pretty good season.”

Ray said the team battled through expected adjustments.

“There’s always gonna be a little transitional mishaps here and there when switching coaches, but all in all, I think talking to some other people, other coaches even, I think we had a successful season for the first one,” he said.

As far as growth for the young squad, Ray pointed stride in understanding of the game.

“We had a lot of younger players, a lot of freshmen, sophomores especially, and them just beginning to see and understand the game and pick up the speed of the game was huge,” he said. 

Ray credited returning players for helping guide that development.

“By the season’s end it was beginning to look a lot like soccer should look and not just people kicking the ball around, especially from the underclassmen,” he said. “That was thanks to the upperclassmen passing on what they had learned and bringing them along with them.”

Finishing, he said, remained the biggest gap.

“There’s a phrase that we hate to say, but it seems to be Cassville the last few years,” Ray said. “‘It’s everything but the finish.’ We actually outshot, on frame, most of our opponents. We just couldn’t find the back of the net consistently, so that was the absolute biggest would-like-to-have-had improvement.”

Four seniors — Diego Haros, Kaid Williams, Logan Wingo and Cayden Rohde — left a significant mark on the program, Ray said.

“I think they’re invaluable,” he said. “I don’t think you can place a weight on how impactful they were on the team.”

Ray said Haros’ leadership, especially while injured, set a tone for the younger players.

“His ability to be able to coach up his teammates, to be a player coach from the sideline, to be a leader from the sideline, to see things in a new way and pass that on his teammates, was just awesome to watch,” Ray said. “I think those underclassmen will benefit in the future from that.”

Ray said Williams brought steady guidance.

“Kaid was excellent leader on the field and off the pitch, pushing his teammates every practice trying to pass on wisdom, trying to be a positive mature role model in every aspect,” Ray said.

Wingo, the coach added, directed the defense from inside the 18-yard box.

“Logan was always fantastic,” Ray said. “He was able to continue that leadership with his back line trying to help direct them and help them grow.”

Rohde, Ray said, evolved his game in meaningful ways.

“Cayden, who can go out and score in droves, matured this year,” Ray said. “He showed his teammates that there’s many different aspects to the game and not just one of trying to score all the time.”

Ray said with only four seniors departing, the underclassmen group is talented, energized and unified.

“They bring an absolute fire and energy,” Ray said. “The freshmen this last year pushed everyone. They also bring a lot of knowledge — those kids have all played a lot of soccer through club leagues. They’re going bring a lot of wisdom, a lot of soccer play time on the pitch.”

Ray said cohesion will be one of the biggest assets.

“They all really do like each other, which is great,” Ray said. “They will bring that continuity which will add to the gameplay.”

Through all the ups and downs of the campaign, Ray said one moment stood above the rest.

“The Carl Junction game without a doubt stands out,” Ray said. “We’re down 3-0 at halftime, then we fought back and tie them 3-3. They went ahead 4-3, and you think that takes the wind out of our sails, but Cayden sprints to the box, grabs the ball, sets it, and just a few minutes later we score to make it 4-4 and go to PKs.”

Even in the shootout loss, Ray said the comeback showed the Wildcats who they could be.

“That game definitely grew us up, and it’ll be something we continue to look at for the future,” Ray said.

Looking ahead to 2026, Ray wants his players to shift their perspective.

“We want to do a better job falling in love with the process when the losses come,” Ray said. “There were times we placed too much emphasis on wins and not enough on becoming better.”

Ray said the team will focus on effort, growth and consistency.

“It’s going to be kind of getting our focus corrected and letting it take care of itself when we put the best product of ourself on the field night after night,” he said.

Ray said reaching that level of product has been a long-time goal of not only the program, but the soccer community in Cassville, especially through Seven Valleys Soccer Club.

“The success of this team in the next few years is grossly dependent on what Seven Valleys has put in with these kids, as well as what Jake Forste has put into them in the last few years,” he said. “It’s a community program, which I think can be the most powerful program.”