The Suffolk Christian Academy boys’ soccer team is expected to see an uptick in competition on their schedule this season, and they are looking forward to it.

The Knights boys’ soccer team had a quality season last year, but it was on the JV level. This year they will compete as a varsity team, which naturally boosts the level of competition. Playing in the Hampton Roads Athletic Conference, Coach Marquis Lassiter believes the competition will make the Knights better, as they have goals they want to achieve as a team this season.

“We want to finish in that top half of the conference,” Lassiter said. “We think that it is doable. We want to just work hard every day and keep getting better, and hopefully, we can finish in that top half or better.”

Lassiter feels like the schedule is a mix of teams that will challenge SCA and teams with which they may be on the same level. He believes it will leave a lot of room for growth.

“These guys are hungry to improve and win,” Lassiter said. “This type of competition will be good for our younger players, because I know those guys are excited and they want to prove themselves. It’s going to be challenging at times, but I know at the end they are going to grow from it.”

SCA returns Ethan Griffin and Joel Genteski, who will be the only two seniors on the team this year. Adam Deaton is also expected to be a contributor on the team as well. Lassiter believes the team wants to improve on what they did last season.

“A lot of these guys got some good experience last year,” Lassiter said. “Because of that, I feel like these guys have built a good foundation last season that they can continue to build on for this season. They are hungry to improve and to win.”

SCA will play at home against Oaktree Academy at 4:30 p.m. Monday.