St. Ed’s boys soccer team defeated Master’s Academy 6-1 on Senior Night last Friday to wrap up the regular season District 10-1A schedule. The first round of the postseason tournament starts next Tuesday.
The Pirates needed the Master’s win to nail down the second seed after a tough 5-0 loss to top-seeded Holy Trinity Episcopal two nights earlier. St. Ed’s finished 7-2-1 in the district and took an overall record of 9-3-2 into the final two non-district matches this week.
“We are kind of in rough shape right now,” head coach Bill Keating said after the Holy Trinity game. “We had a chance to take first place in the district if we played well on their field, but we really weren’t ready, and it showed.
“But there were still some very good signs. Hopefully after a couple of weeks of work we are going to be facing them again in the district final with a different result. There is that hope, that chance, that possibility.”
The eight seniors honored at halftime of the Master’s game represented a cross-section of the student body and clearly depicted the wide spectrum of athletes found on sports teams at St. Ed’s. These seniors ranged from perhaps the best player on the team to a reserve just happy to be there.
All were valued for what they contributed to the team and Keating had some thoughts on what the night means to him far beyond wins and losses.
“Senior Night is always very emotional for me. … I get to see them grow not just as soccer players, but as guys. I also get to see the effect they have on their teammates. These seniors have been really good leaders for this team.”
In no particular order we asked Keating to comment on his “guys” and it was hard for him to contain his emotions at times.
“Michael Puskar came in as an eighth grader. He wasn’t very big but he had some really nice ball skills. We played him out of position many times and he’s done everything we’ve ever asked him to do to help the team. He’s very coachable and I really enjoyed working with him.
“Kevin Murphy is a goalkeeper in lacrosse and he apparently is going to be playing lacrosse in college. He wanted to play another sport and, without any experience at all, came out for soccer as a sophomore. He worked so hard that he created a starting position for himself by the end of his first year on the team. He grew into being a great leader. There are several levels to Kevin and not just athletically. He was willing to be a liaison between me and the rest of the team. It was really appreciated.
“James Pizzo has a knack for scoring. For him it’s important that the team does well and he is going to do anything he can to help. If that means sitting because of different formations that we use, then he sits. If that means scoring a goal, and the opportunity presents itself, all of a sudden he scores a goal that we needed. He’s a neat guy with a great personality.
“Karim Hussamy is probably our best player (junior Zach Alerte was also mentioned). Because of his experience playing at a very high level – he went to IMG Academy for two years – he understands what players and teams must do to be successful. Those are things I talk about all the time and he’s been so helpful in terms of being a coach on the field. He’s the key for us. If over the next couple of weeks the rest of the guys can hook into the experience that he has, there could be some magic.
“Ben and David Stork (twins) are almost indistinguishable. I have to look at the color of their shoes to tell which is which. They came in without much of a background in soccer but worked very hard all four years they have been with the program. They have learned to play defense very well and it’s been interesting to see both of them earn starting positions as wingbacks. I consider them consummate teammates.
“We call Pol Plumer Tall Pol. He is an exchange student from Luxembourg, just a one-year player, but one with very nice skills. Had he been here a few more years he could have helped us out a lot. He can hold and distribute the ball very nicely. It’s been a little difficult to find a position for him, but it’s been great for the guys to have someone like Pol on our team.
“It was hard for Rohan Sadhwani to make a commitment to soccer because of academics. Unfortunately he has not gotten to play but he is here every day and willing to help. I think he just wants to be with the guys.”
Hussamy, Pizzo and Plumer enhanced a memorable event by scoring goals on Senior Night.