They’re young and talented, and that’s a cool feeling. Cathedral High School boys soccer is less experienced than normal in 2026 – and while that’s new for one of the state’s top programs, it’s also a positive for the Irish because the future looks bright and the present does, too. “I like how we look,” Irish soccer coach Joel Russell said. The Irish, after finishing the past two seasons with sectional shootout losses, started the ’26 season 3-3-5. They have done so with one of their youngest rosters in recent memory, with four freshmen and three sophomores playing key roles. “We’re the youngest, by almost any order of magnitude, from teams I've had,” said Russell, who is in his 10th season with the program – his sixth as head coach. “I don't think I've ever had more than one freshman on the varsity team, let alone four starting. We're just really young. At the same time, they're all soccer players. These kids are good.” Key to the Irish in 2026 are upperclassmen leaders such as senior captain forward Karol Molina-Gomez and junior midfielder captain Liam Horen, with senior forward Chase Gatto and senior Josue De Los Santos also contributing. “They're both more ‘lead by example’ than they are rah-rah communication that's screaming on the sideline,” Russell said of Molina-Gomez and Horen. “They do a really good job of setting the tone, working hard every day in practice. “They have the right attitude. They've been good leaders.” Key for the present and future is a strong freshman class that includes defender Jackson Drewry, midfielder Everett Bateman, midfielder Judah Wedges and midfielder Finn Barrett. “I would stack up our four freshmen against any of the other freshmen across the state,” Russell said. “They're all very good players. That class is pretty dynamic, all good the on ball and all have good soccer IQs.” Also leading the Irish in 2026: A strong sophomore class that includes defender Jackson Cripe, defender Sullivan Massillamany, midfielder Beckett Milewski, midfielder Theodore Russell, forward August Rodman, midfielder William Enck and goaltender Thomas Newton. “That's really a good really foundation of soccer players that we're going to have for two more years after this year,” Russell said. Russell called the defense early in the season “fantastic,” with the Irish allowing seven goals in the first 11 games. “It's a pretty young back line,” Russell said. “They've done really well. We’re a tough team to score on. We’ve been a little unlucky scoring goals, but that's the hardest thing to do in soccer, is to score goals. We're changing some things up to try and create more chances, but I like the team. “We're creating chances. We just haven't found the back of the net. But I like the team. I like how we move the ball and I like how we compete.” A strong Irish defense also is keyed by junior goaltender Michael Behringer – who Russell called “a fantastic leader” and “arguably the best goalkeeper in the state as junior.” “He's the whole package,” Russell said. “It's awfully nice as a coach to say, ‘Well, we always have Michael. If you're going to score on it, you're going to have to earn it because there's not a lot of mistake goals happening or mistakes on the defense that Michael doesn't cover for.’ “He really organizes the defense and bails us out of a lot of problems with his shot-stopping ability. His communication gets us out of problems a lot.” Key juniors also include defender Joshua Purdie, forward Rohan Fahey, midfielder Carson Wedges, midfielder Matthew Skulski and midfielder Henry Vande Bosche. “I really like the team and we've done well,” Russell said. “It’s the same thing from past years. When the season is over, you will do the math and we’ll have played the hardest schedule in the state. It has been fun and the thing I like is, we're generally not making the same mistake twice.” And as the young Irish grow and improve, Russell said the season has been enjoyable – with an eye on the postseason and the future. “As a coach, it's like, ‘Wow, this is real soccer; let's have some fun with this boys,’’’ he said. “I've really enjoyed it. I always say, ‘Give young kids chances,’ and this year I’ve had to live by that. “We're learning. We're getting better. Our job is to kind of build each game for the end of the season. We've learned a lot of stuff already. And hopefully we're starting to set ourselves up for a good tournament run.”