<p>My son is considering boarding school and concerned about the opportunity to play high level soccer. He is used to playing year round club soccer, but it appears the schools we are looking at only offer fall soccer. We are looking at Thatcher, SPS, Deerfield and Exeter. Does anyone have any experience with the sports programs at these schools? Any other suggestions for schools with top level academics that would be better for soccer?</p>
<p>Most programs at NE schools have their varsity players involved in year-round club teams (the very dedicated players at least). Many of these clubs have Sunday practices and students play another sport and then train soccer on Sunday. It depends on the school/policies but I do know of some schools where students receive “exemptions” and play for local clubs many days a week during the off-season.</p>
<p>Loomis Chaffee usually has a strong soccer team that plays a pretty good schedule. My impression from school visits is that sports are taken seriously at Loomis, along with good academics. SPS soccer hasn’t been that great the past few years. NMH has a strong soccer program as well. I’d recommend looking at the past 4-5 year records, along with the schedule of opponents, along with talking with the coaches.</p>
<p>Hotchkiss has a superb soccer program. The Bearcats were New England Class A Prep Champions in boys soccer in '08 and '09 and were 15-1-2 last year, suffering its one and only loss in the NE semi-finals.</p>
<p>Deerfield has a very strong athletic department and outstanding athletic facilities. If your children are good in sports, that’s considered a “Hook” and can help in admission. You should contact the athletic department and the coaches of the sports that you are interested in. Soccer is very popular at Deerfield and as a result it is hard to make the Varsity and JV teams. We have soccer thirds and quads teams also as it is a popular sport at Deerfield.</p>
<p>Cate’s soccer team went 22-0 last season and were California champions in their division. ESPN ranked them #19 nationally. Below I have pasted the ESPN year-end review of the 2010-11 Cate championship team. With many returning players, this year should be another banner year.</p>
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<li>Cate (Carpinteria, Calif.) 22-0-0<br>
Season complete. CIF-Southern Section Division VII champion. Teddy Mauze scored three goals to lift Cate to a 3-1 win over Mammoth in the section final to cap a perfect season. The victory would have earned Cate a spot in the Southern California Regional championships, however the programs declined the invitation since Cate is a boarding school and all students leave campus this week, according to coach Dave Mochel. In the section final, Josh Yaro, who skipped the US Youth Soccer ODP National Championship semifinal to play for his high school, set up the first goal with a pass to Yale-bound junior forward Avery Schwartz, whose blocked shot ended up at the feet of Mauze. Mauze finished the chance for the first goal. Mauze added two goals in the final 10 minutes. During the season, Cate recorded 16 shutouts, won 14 matches by at least five goals, 20 matches by at least two goals. Cate went undefeated at the Soccer Town Showcase, including a win over CIF-Southern Section Division I playoff qualifier Harvard-Westlake. Sophomore midfielder Ema Boateng was named the CIF-South Section Division VII Player of the year and was joined by teammates Jason Mauze, Schwartz, Blake Wands and Josh Yaro on the first team. All are underclassmen other than Jason Mauze.</li>
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<p>I have a different take on the issue. Sports offer an opportunity for students to meet other students. While the schools don’t offer year-round training in one sport, they do encourage students to try something new. Extracurriculars, including sports, are great opportunities for students to meet upperclassmen. Opting out of on-campus extracurriculars could make it more difficult for your sons to find a group of friends. (note–not “impossible,” but maybe “more difficult.”)</p>
<p>There’s also the issue of overuse, which is driving up the rate of injuries in our children’s generation: [An</a> Epidemic of Injuries Plagues College Athletes - Athletics - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“An Epidemic of Injuries Plagues College Athletes”>An Epidemic of Injuries Plagues College Athletes). (This article may be behind a subscriber wall.)</p>
<p>No need to speculate. Just go to the schools’ websites and look at the scores for the present soccer season.</p>