In 2005, when the current seniors were meager freshmen, “Green Day” occurred. On “Green Day,” the high school won four Western mass championships in one day in girls’ volleyball, boys’ and girls’ soccer, and field hockey. Now, it is the last chance for the seniors to repeat this historical day. One team that is looking to reclaim the title of Western Mass Champions is boys’ soccer.

Ever since the epic “Green Day” of 2005, boys’ soccer has not won a Western Mass Championship or even made it the finals. In 2006, the year after “Green Day”, boys’ soccer lost in the quarterfinals to the number one team, Ludlow. Last year, despite the team’s record of 13-2-3, they lost to Westfield in the quarterfinals. The team also lost the only player left from “Green Day,” Dan Vivian. He was the only senior that made varsity as a sophomore in 2005. As a result, when the team starts looking at Western Mass this year, they will not have a single player that was on the team during “Green Day.”

The biggest difference between this year’s team and last year’s team is the new, fresh faces. Out of the 46 goals scored last year, 40 of them were from returning upperclassman. Three key players -- senior Sean Sullivan and juniors Jhon Gomez and Dan Brady -- scored over half of the 46 goals. The biggest factor in the season is going to be whether or not those new faces can accomplish more than the previous graduating class did.

This year’s team is off to a good start. Senior Glenn Baker is already directing the team in the right direction by being a key component in scoring goals. Baker joined the team last year after he moved to Wilbraham from Wisconsin. Two other essential leaders on the path to the tournament are senior Max Glebocki and junior Jhon Gomez

“If anything the upperclassmen are coming back stronger this year with Gomez returning after making all-states, Sully [Sean Sullivan] coming back after making All-Western Mass, Max returning with his 11 assists from last year, and of course Jon Pelloso reclaiming his spot in the net,” junior Dan Brady said.

Despite the strong offensive line, the team is going to need to compensate for a newer defense.

“Last year, we had all upperclassmen on defense, and this year we only have two. We took on a lot of new defenders,” said Brady.

The biggest factor in the season is going to be whether or not those new faces can accomplish more than the previous graduating class did.

The legendary team of 2005 had the advantage of having twelve seniors and seven juniors on the team. This year has younger team, with only eight seniors and eight juniors. However, the quality of soccer is not determined by how long a person has played or their age, but rather their experience and the quality of play. Therefore having a slightly younger team is not necessarily a disadvantage.

Last year, the journey towards a Western Mass Championship ended in penalty kicks. The team lost to Westfield in the quarterfinals, a team they could have beaten. This year, the Falcons have no intention of letting the season end on a sour note, and they plan to bring the school one step closer to another “Green Day” when they win Western Mass.