Youthful Pirates Start Soccer Season

By Kevin Yoder 

The Hudson Pirates boys soccer team kicked off the 2026 season this week. They look to build  on two straight years reaching the state tournament.  

This year’s team replaces seven seniors, and with eleven incoming freshmen has a much more  youthful roster than the previous two. The first game out of the gate brought GCGR to town with a much  more veteran group. Hudson had won five in a row in the rivalry, but despite a scrappy performance, the  boys dropped a hard-fought battle 1-0.  

The only goal of the game came twenty seconds out of a scoreless first half. That proved to be  the difference as the Pirates battled not only a solid opponent, but a stiff wind in their face the entire  second half.  

Senior captain Anderson Yoder and juniors McCoy Yoder and Austin Kliegl managed the only  three shots on goal.  

The Pirates had a second home game on Monday, and it was another NICL conference  opponent in AP-DNH. The Pirate offense switched formations and that led to an increase in  opportunities. After another scoreless first half, the Pirates struck quickly in the second half.  

Freshman Carter Weide notched his first career varsity goal eighteen seconds into the half on a  strike from near the left sideline.  

The Pirates clung to that 1-0 lead for much of the second half, again battling a brisk head wind.  AP-DNH managed to hit the equalizer at the 9-minute mark, and with time winding down and the Pirates  digging in defensively, the visitors punched in the ultimate game winner with 1:20 left on the clock,  securing the 2-1 win.  

The Pirates will look to bounce back with a Tuesday game at Waterloo East, followed by home  games with Independence and Columbus (Junction) in Saturday’s home Hudson Classic.