Summer Sonic Highlights: Buchholz boys soccer looks back on undefeated regular season

The Buchholz boys soccer team and first-year head coach Todd Rousseau joined “The Prep Zone Sports Show” on Jan. 21, 2026.

The Bobcats went undefeated during the regular season (14-0-1 record) and won the Gainesville City Cup with a season-high nine goals in a 9-2 win against city rival Gainesville High. Buchholz, which landed four players on the Bosshardt Realty All Area team, advanced to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs but lost at home to South Lake (Groveland) in the regional semifinals.

Below are excerpts from the January interview — edited for length and clarity — on The Prep Zone show. You can listen to the full conversation online.

Q: Give us a synopsis of the year, an undefeated year, 14-0-1. Just kind of sum it up a little bit. 

Head coach Todd Rousseau: We had some comeback wins that just really set us up for a great season, and our kids have really matured this year. 

Q: Congratulations on winning the City Cup, including that 9-2 win against rival GHS. 

Todd Rousseau: Yes, we took over right from where Coach (Phillip) Journey left off. We got our name back on that plaque, and we’ve won it three years in a row, so it’s been really good. 

Q: Give me a game that kind of stood out this year. 

Todd Rousseau: Montverde Academy (a 3-3 tie on the road). That was a game that really stood out. Our boys were ready for that game. They were hyped up… it put in our boys’ heads what it takes to win a game against a quality team, and they treated that tie like a loss.  So we can now say to the boys, “don’t Montverde this game,” and they know exactly what we mean. 

Q: Dylan, an unbeaten regular season. Just kind of sum up the regular season. It was a great year for you guys. 

Dylan Fitzpatrick (SR): I’d say the one game that changed it was West Port (Ocala). We were down two goals with about 10 minutes left. We turned it around and won 3-2. I feel like our season’s been based off of that game. 

Q: A big win against GHS, nine goals, a season high for you guys. Talk about winning the City Cup and, in particular, beating your rival. 

Dylan Fitzpatrick (SR): It was great. I recognized some of the guys out there. We wanted to kill them. We’re ready for the playoffs. We weren’t really focused on subbing anyone in that game. We just wanted to win, put in as many goals as possible. 

Q: Up next is Carlos Cadet, who three years ago came over from Venezuela, did not speak any English, and listen to him now. I mean, he’s on fire. Talk about the biggest difference when you got to the States, and what’s one of the first things you noticed how things might be different here in the U.S. versus Venezuela. 

Carlos Cadet (SR): The city. I come from a small city…soccer here is different than Venezuela because the field is different. 

Q: Up next is Teague McNeal, who’s coming off the hat trick against GHS. Talk about your big night last Wednesday (City Cup Championship). 

Teague McNeil (SR): It was amazing. Being able to have that feeling again from the Suwannee (Live Oak) game, but especially in such a high-stakes game, like the County Cup final. It was an amazing feeling. 

Q: Talk about this year’s team and how good you think it is. 

Teague McNeil (SR): It’s just such a high level this year. I mean, we’re all a real quality group of guys. We really build each other up a lot, and we keep a really competitive environment. We’ve been really aggressive this season, and I think that’s helped us have a lot of success. 

Q: Congratulations on your commitment to Methodist University. Tell us a little about the school in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and what led to the decision. 

Teague McNeil (SR): Thank you. So, I’ve been on two visits there. I love the team, love the school, love the coach. It’s honestly a blessing. It’s an amazing opportunity for me to go to another state to be able to play college soccer.