Last season wasn’t hugely successful for the Fountain Hills High School boys soccer team, but head coach Matt Pugliano and the flock are ready to put in the hard work in order to earn the improvement that comes with it this season.

Pugliano, who says the team is looking to rebound, believes the Falcon squad sports a good mix of new and returning players this year.

“We got a lot of returns,” Pugliano said. “And we just have one senior, which is nice because that means I have a good window with the team to form good habits. In fact, 10 of the new players are freshmen.”

A few of the players Pugliano said the community should be on the lookout for included Caden Collins, Finn Hudoba and Trevor Sandvig

Along with getting some new blood on the team, the Falcons will also square off against some new faces on the pitch due to a change in region alignment.

“We moved from the Metro to the North Metro region.” Pugliano explained. “It’ll be nice to not have to bang our heads against the same opponents all the time.”

The Falcons were not the only team that moved divisions during the off season.

“We brought two opponents with us,” Pugliano said. “Scottsdale Prep and Scottsdale Christian, So we get to keep those rivalries. In particular, the Scottsdale Christian one, which is always a fun game to play.”

Along with these familiar faces the Falcons will face off against new schools like Anthem Prep and Glendale Prep.

The first match of the season is this Thursday, Nov. 29, away at Seton Catholic.