For the second year in a row St. Ed’s varsity boys soccer team was eliminated from postseason play by district rival Pine School. The visiting Knights broke free from a 1-1 halftime tie en route to a 5-2 regional semifinal victory last Saturday night. The Pirates finished at 16-3-1.
The outcome was eerily similar to what transpired a year ago when a favored St. Ed’s team was upset in a district semifinal by Pine School. For the returning players and coaches, that disappointment was hard to accept, or forget. Redemption was partially realized in the 2020 District 8-2A championship match against Pine School.
The Pirates’ 5-4 victory for the title erased some of the year-long sting and certainly turned out to be the high point of the season. The Pirates built a 4-1 lead in the second half before regrouping to net the game-winning goal in the first 10-minute overtime. A regional quarterfinal victory a few days later set up the season-ender against Pine School.
The two playoff setbacks will never overshadow the 29-5-3 record and 2020 district title resume already compiled by second-year head coach Pape Seye.
“During training camp, and even before, we saw these kids gearing up for the season to start,” Seye told us. “The pace, the strength, the skill level and the discipline were still very much where they were last year – and even more, mainly because this group of seniors still held on to the memory of that semifinal loss last year. We were all very intent on not letting that happen again.
“We had two years of experience together,” Seye said. “We had five seniors and they were very good leaders. Most were starters last year, and some of the mistakes they made then were eliminated. They also did a very good job with the younger kids. Overall, many of the boys on the team were returnees. We all had a chance to basically learn and build from last year. I believe that we were a stronger team, but also a more poised team.
“The most important strength on this team was our camaraderie. The bond between these kids was unbreakable. They knew exactly how much I asked of them. The practices were hard. The beautiful thing was seeing how they picked each other up.
“And to see them together off the field shows real friendships. This was much more than a team; it was more like they created a little family. That is what pushed these kids to go above and beyond.”
Drew Sternberg, Jack Zoltak and Leon Main attacked the opposing net for 65 goals this season. Forwards Andrew Angelo and BT Termidor were regular starters. The defense in front of keeper Alex Lee was a group effort. Aidan Burdick, Jack Dobson, Edgar Chavez, Rian Tull, Nikita Meinel and Liam Kavolius, among others, all contributed. Roster flexibility was a big advantage, and personnel changes were often game-to-game decisions.
“It was a matter of considering what players we might need or use in that particular game,” Seye explained, citing the net minder as an example. “We were lucky enough to have four different possibilities in goal this year. They are young, have lots of energy and are very good. We worked all year long on how to juggle them depending on the game. They needed the experience as well. Everything starts from the back – the goalie is the first defender, and also the first forward.”
Allowing one goal or less 11 times this season indicated that everyone mastered the defensive juggling act. Seye also tweaked the formation on the pitch, but only slightly from a season ago.
“We were still playing with four defenders and three strong midfielders,” Seye said. “Up front we had two strong outside guys and one strong striker. So our system was basically 4-3-2-1. We lost some wonderful players from last year that we could not replace skill-wise. We had to change the system a little bit and go away from the 4-3-3. We used the 4-3-2-1 most of the year – and it worked for us. It’s all about the personnel.
“That made my life much easier. I was able to focus mostly on the little tactical and technical stuff for sure, but that was just a bonus for them. When push came to shove these kids fought for each other. Knowing that your teammates are going to win the 50-50’s, and give 100 percent, makes everyone likely to do that.”
Seye took a group of obviously talented, energetic and determined players deep into the postseason this year, one step from the regional final and, after that, the Final Four. Pining about what might have been aside, the motivation for next year is clear.
