Jonathan Lupo is a sophomore who attends Coral Springs Charter School. He spends his days studying and playing the sport he loves, soccer. This is his second year on the varsity soccer team, and he has seen an increase in minutes on the pitch so far this season.
The boy’s soccer team has already won more games this season than last year and are on pace to triple their wins this season. On Monday, December 9, the Coral Springs Charter Varsity Boys Soccer team faced off against Franklin Academy. This was one of the last home games of this year and the boys came out hot. They won 4-0 and Jonathan scored a goal to put them up early. He has also been playing lockdown defense and battling through multiple injuries.
They have six more games this season and are looking to finish strong. Out of these six games, five of them are away games against very tough competition. North Broward Prep and South Plantation being the toughest teams remaining on their schedule.
When asked about the team’s plan for their upcoming gauntlet of a schedule Jonathan said, “We had struggled at the start of the season and lost four in a row to start, but ever since then we have been practicing even harder and building our team chemistry.” Ever since this rough start the team is nearly at a winning record and clawing closer everyday. This may not seem like a huge achievement, but looking at their prior season where they only had two wins they are making huge strides towards greatness.
Another question Jonathan was asked is how he prepares for his games, both physically and mentally. His response was, “I always have to make sure I am fully locked in and ready to go before I arrive at the field on game day. I usually have a big meal before games and have my headphones to listen to music. I also make sure I stretch extra because I have been dealing with hamstring and groin injuries.” All of these ways of preparation are necessary to Jonathan and have helped him and the team find more success.
The final question I asked Jonathan was how he handles juggling school and soccer. His response was, “It is a challenge staying on top of all my assignments and upcoming tests, but it is worth the struggle to play soccer. My family is from Italy and soccer is a big part of all of my family’s lives.” He has been playing soccer for over 10 years and does not plan on stopping. On the academic side, he is a gifted student who is in all of the highest classes a sophomore can take and is doing very well. His weighted GPA is well above a four and he is in the top 10% percent in the class of 2027.
Jonathan Lupo and the boys soccer team are working hard and preparing for their last games and then the playoffs. They are ready to finish strong and try to make a deep run in the playoffs. Even if this deep playoff run does not happen this season has been a major progression from last year and Jonathan continues to work and improve to help this team win