The grass whips around wildly as the small footfalls of spiked shoes rip them up by the roots as their owners hone in on the checkered ball. Narrow-mindedly, the young children chase the ball, hoping that they might strike the ball into the net.

At one point in life, many parents have gone to the local rec center to sign their child up for soccer. It might’ve been the child’s choice or on the parent’s insistence, but some find a small place outside of school where friends meet up and knock a ball around, chasing it endlessly –swarming around it like pigeons around bread crumbs.

The sport might not stick –perhaps that was not one’s shtick. It could be art or welding, maybe collecting bottle caps.

But for three guys, soccer stuck with them from that young age, through elementary school, middle school, high school, and it is now following them to college. Seniors Matt Lentine, Brendan Soloman, and Justin Gray are all intending on going to Siena Heights University to play Soccer.

Matt Lentine, co-captain of Boys Varsity Soccer, is a man who hates losing with a passion and has proven himself as a soccer player and a leader. He does not ask from his team for more than he is capable of.

“He’s a runner. He’s always been a runner. His work ethic is always at a high rate –he’s like a machine,” Justin Gray said.

Since he was four years old, Lentine has been knocking a ball around and lovin’ it. Through his love for soccer, he became friends with several of the same guys he played with on the high school team.

“It’s been cool because we’ve all got to play together and build a bond. That’s really helped us throughout the years,” Lentine said.

Whether on or off the field, Lentine is a guy who will put himself out there and give his all to whatever he sets his mind too. An immense contribution to the positive mindset came from Coach Mukhtar, who came on as Varsity Soccer coach three years ago as Lentine, Soloman, and Gray made the team as sophomores.

“He (Coach Mukhtar) made us believe in ourselves -that anything is possible,” said Lentine. “Your mindset is a big factor, I think personally if you put your mind to something you can achieve it.”

Brendan Soloman, forward for Boys Varsity Soccer, is a man who holds himself to a high standard and tries to be the best he can be while getting along with the team.

“He has a good work ethic.” Gray said with a smile. “He can push when he wants, and he always tries to keep it up.”

Soloman played with several guys from the Varsity team then that he does now. He named off players, counting on his fingers. As with any sport one has played for years, the friends made during that time stand out.

“It’s just fun; you get to hang out with your buddies all the time- you know?” Soloman said. “You share something you have a passion for. That’s something I like it gave me something to do –instead of always doing schoolwork and stuff like that–go have some fun, kick a ball around.”

Justin Gray, center middle for Boys Varsity Soccer, is a man who is responsible with a lot of talent. When there is anything wrong, he would be one to try and remedy it.

“Justin is a great example of that (a good attitude),” said Coach Mukhtar. “I think talent wise, he might be the most talented of the three; he just has that kind of ability. There are times in the game that he can take the game completely over, and that’s from the center/mid-field position.”

Since the age of four, Gray had been playing soccer from with
neighborhood kids to travel leagues. Gray met several friends through the years, like Justin Piccolo.

Gray had the parent who basically sat him down and told him to pick a sport, and he picked soccer. He kept up with it, starting by playing with the neighborhood kids to playing in soccer leagues and travel teams.

“Matt Lentine and Justin Gray are probably two of the hardest workers on the team.” said Soloman, “I know none of us take it easy anywhere from the bottom of the line up all the way to the top. We’re always working, ‘cause you know if one person’s not working that’s affecting the person next to them. We always make sure we are all working at a high rate.”

This 14-15 school year, our Ramblers were undefeated through regionals and made it to the state playoffs. Coach Mukhtar recalled that within the last three years, our Ramblers have had a total of five losses -two in the last two years from being knocked out of competition- from a total of roughly seventy games played.

These results happened from the countless hours of practice and the belief that they can succeed. For Matthew Lentine, Brendan Soloman, and Justin Gray, that work ethic and positive mindset will carry them to Siena Heights and beyond.