Seymour midfielder makes strides over four-year career

October 9, 2018

Caden Cardinal has loved soccer for as long as he can remember.

The Seymour High School senior began playing in youth leagues at Freeman Field before playing club ball with the Seymour Cyclones and with teams in Columbus and Bloomington.

He played junior varsity his freshman and sophomore seasons, and then was a sub on the varsity his junior year.

Cardinal said he feels like the hard work he put forth in practice is the reason he started this fall.

He said his quickness definitely helped him in soccer.

“When it comes to running down a loose ball or when you’re running down a sideline with a guy, you have to push yourself to make sure that you’re getting in front of them,” Cardinal said. “You can’t really afford anything when you’re the back line.”

Cardinal played midfield for the Owls.

“Our responsibility was to stop the attack and possess the ball and make sure it gets distributed to where we can build the attack from the back,” he said. “Communication is extremely important. It’s really important to practice because that’s where you’re going to test yourself and make yourself better every day, so it’s good to push yourself in those moments.”

Cardinal said practice is vital to success.

“Practice is where you’re going to work on things you really need to work on from the last match, and it’s where you perfect your mistakes from the mistakes you made in the last match, so I’d say it’s extremely important,” he said.

He said he felt the team had a good experience attending a camp at the University of Indianapolis this summer.

“Since that’s really the first time we get to play as a full team and in positions and play like an actual game, it lets us start to see the flow of how each other works, like how we all play and work together and play with each other,” Cardinal said.

There were 11 seniors on the team this fall. Cardinal said he was proud to be a part of the group that won the Hoosier Hills Conference.

“As a group of seniors, we tried to set the example and make sure the underclassmen know what’s expected of them, whether that’s practice or doing things the right way on and off the field,” Cardinal said.

He plans to run track in the spring and feels he can help the team in the sprints.

Cardinal said he has liked attending Seymour High School.

“It’s a bigger environment, and it’s definitely opened my eyes to a lot of things,” he said. “I’d never change it. I’ve loved my experiences here at SHS since the beginning. I’ll try to remember all the memories, whether that was in class or with friends or after school or after the games, even during the soccer season.”

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Name: Caden Cardinal

High school: Seymour

Parents: Nathan and Sherri Cardinal

Sibling: Payton

Sports: Soccer, four years; track and field, one year

Athletic highlights: Hoosier Hills Conference champions in 2016 and 2018 in soccer

Plans after high school: Attend Ball State University and study exercise science

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