Top 50: Preseason NEPSAC boys players to watch for

Michael Suski of Loomis Chaffee and Ugochukwu Achara of Berkshire. (Mike Gridley/New England Soccer Journal)

When touching base with a Class A prep school head coach in late summer, he told New England Soccer Journal how perhaps no other year would rival the high-end talent across NEPSAC boys soccer in 2018.

There’s no way to accurately quantify that or be 100 percent sure of any conclusions, for it’s an inherently subjective opinion. But, upon digging deeper into the player pool set to grace prep school campuses throughout New England, it’s clear the broader collective would rival any other league, be it the Development Academy or National Premier League.

Ozzie Parente, head coach at Taft and a former All-State player at Hopkins School, offers perspective with his longstanding connections to prep soccer.

“Every single game no matter who we play against, there is one special attacking player that we have to give special attention to,” Parente said. “We can’t just say we’re going to defend in our normal way. There’s always someone with the individual talent to do some special things.”