The Hopkinton High School boys soccer team took a 6-5-3 record into the homestretch of the regular season, and coach Garrett Sawyer said his squad has the ability to make some noise in the upcoming state tournament if it can put it all together.

“Our league is really competitive, but we have had some good results and some results where we thought we could have played better,” Sawyer said. “I think we still have some room to improve in the final weeks.”

Sawyer pointed specifically to better goal scoring and finishing as an area where the Hillers could get a little bit more productive.

“We have a lot of talent on the team,” he said. “We are able to generate quite a bit of offense, but there is room to improve our ability to translate that offense into quality scoring opportunities.”

Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, Hopkinton had shown a number of strong traits. The team is athletic and physically strong, Sawyer said, and possesses the ball very well. The defense has improved steadily throughout the year, and Sawyer’s players have shown an attitude that allows them to make changes and correct some of the errors they were making early on.

“The team spirit and culture is strong,” Sawyer said. “The guys come out and play hard every day.”

Senior captain Jason O’Connell has been a leader on defense. He has helped organize that side of the field, his coach said, and been a steady presence at center back.

Anchoring the Hillers’ strong possession game are senior Tim Zakharov, another captain, and fellow senior Landon Van Buren.

“They are both high quality midfielders,” Sawyer said.

As the second half of October unfolded, the Hillers found themselves out of the running for a chance at a Tri-Valley League Large School Division title. But Hopkinton was in a strong position to make the state playoffs.

“Our focus is playing the last few games and trying to take some steps forward on offense to prepare for the tournament,” Sawyer said.

He believes that, if things do come together, Hopkinton will be a tough out in the states.

“I think the overall athleticism is high. If we could put some of these final pieces in place, certainly I think we can compete,” Sawyer said. “I think that’s how the kids feel, too. I think they feel like we have not quite reached our potential, and that’s what they are working hard towards every day.”