Loss of several standouts prompts Pirates to regroup with well-rounded attack

HOPES FOR A winning season of Port Washington boys’ soccer will depend on steady performances from veteran players (top photo), including (front row, from left) Alex Becker, Alex Bello, Jacob Setzke, Mason Purtell, (back row) Kelvyn Larsson, Carlos Helmstedt, David Cornell, Mitchell Lemons, James Klotz, Colin Kinzer, Danny Macek and Dakota Kwasny. At right, Larsson (center) and Purtell battled for possession of the ball during a preseason practice. Photos by Sam Arendt

Filling the voids left by lost talent doesn’t always mean discovering new stars.

Take this season’s Port Washington boys’ soccer team, for instance. A balanced approach may serve the Pirates just fine.

Confronted with the graduation of four standout players — forwards Danny Karrels, midfielders Sam Dean and Marcus Lackovic and defender D.J. Soya — Port coach Mike Bultman is counting on a balanced approach to keep his team competitive.

“We lost only four kids to graduation, but they were all three or four-year varsity players,” he said. “They were guys we counted on a lot, and we really can’t replace them.

“But we should still have a team with a lot of good players, the kind that won’t win you games all by themselves but won’t lose any, either. It just depends on who steps up and how well they play together.”

“With the others, we’ve got a chance to do something,” he added.

The Pirates were scheduled to open the season this week with a nonconference match against Sheboygan Christian on Tuesday and will participate in the Mukwonago Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

On Aug. 23, Port will open North Shore play with a 7 p.m. home game against Milwaukee Lutheran

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