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After three straight losing seasons, Lewis Palmer soccer is off to a great start this year and is ranked at number seven in CHSAA’s Class 4A rankings. Four-year varsity player and second-year captain Noah Winslow may not have stats that jump out, but his teammates respect him as a leader, and his coaches say his impact on the program goes far beyond goals and assists.
"He just brings energy. He brings a little bit of tenacity, sometimes anger filtered in the right way that we always need and always pushes us,” head coach Luke Shroyer said.
Winslow has been a steady presence for Lewis Palmer for four years, from a 6-win freshman season to now helping lead the Rangers to an unbeaten start through their first 5 games.
"I would say it's a surreal feeling for sure. It's definitely something I wasn't looking for the best hopes this year because of the past 3 years, but now that we've been on this winning streak and going so hard, so much better, I guess that if we keep on going like this we'll hopefully get a good spot in playoffs and see where that takes us,” Winslow said.
The senior attacking midfielder leads the team in assists this season but his coach says his value goes far beyond the numbers.
"That leadership piece kids follow him, he sets the tone on the field, um, so the stats might not shine through, but great player, great leader,” Shroyer said.
"Just a ton of leadership. You wanna push the team to be as best as they can. Like if someone's getting picked on, help them out, try to figure out their role on the team, and just kind of encouraging everybody,” Winslow added about his leadership.
With momentum building and the postseason in sight, Winslow hopes the standard he helped establish will continue long after his final season ends.
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