Although the start of the year signals new beginnings, soccer athletes reached the end of their tryouts on Thursday. Crushing the excitement of making the team, some players face inevitable cuts on Friday.

For those delivering the bad news, it’s anything but easy.

“I don’t believe in telling your kid just negative things for the sake of talking negative things,” head girls’ soccer coach Elizabeth Mokler said. “It’s all with the intent of I’m trying to offer you constructive criticism to improve you. Hopefully, they feel better since that so that they can take what they’ve learned from it and grow through that discomfort. It’s all just kind of checking that intention. It’s never easy. We see kids responses and nothing really prepares you for that. It has to be done. It’s in their best interest ultimately and of the team.”

Despite an initial cut, soccer hosts a second tryout in November for athletes in other sports, those who have improved since the first tryout, and transfers.

“I’m never really looking for a set number of players for me,” head boys’ soccer coach Fred Kaiser said. “It’s if they’re good enough, if they deserve it. If we don’t have spots then we’re looking to keep those people in the program. Come November, if they can benefit one of the three teams, then we will bring them in there.”

Regardless of the outcome, athletes will leave with something, whether that be tips on how to improve or acceptance on to the team.

“Once you go over it in your head and you have an idea of who the players are, you’re able to tell based off the strengths and weaknesses,” Kaiser said. “The big thing for us especially with the cut happening right now, is we do remind all the players that have been cut, we’re trying to tell them exactly what they should work on.”