St. Ed’s varsity boys soccer team got a good indication of how tough the district playoffs will be after settling for a 1-1 tie against visiting Holy Trinity Episcopal just before the Thanksgiving break.
The Pirates were 5-1-2 through November with district wins against Pine School, Florida Prep and John Carroll already in the bag. The 3-0-1 district mark puts St. Ed’s in favorable early position for a top playoff seeding.
A trip to nearby Master’s Academy this week completed the first round against all five district opponents. The next five scheduled games are district rematches.
“We took our knocks last year with a young team and we are still young,” coach Bill Keating said. “At any given time we are starting two freshmen and four sophomores. That’s a pretty young team to be putting out on the field.
“But these are some very talented kids and they grew up a lot last year. They have very high expectations and obviously so do I every time I start putting a team together. “
That’s business as usual for a coach well past 200 career wins in 22 seasons with numerous Coach of the Year awards to go with five district championships.
“Holy Trinity and Pine School have controlled our district over the last two or three years,” Keating explained. “They are both still very strong opponents. They are the targets. We are doing what we can to get ready to match up against them and hopefully win the district.”
Injuries to key players have prevented Keating from fielding a consistent lineup. Starters Karim Hussamy, Scott Marshall and substitute Richie Appen have already missed games. Others have stepped in to keep the quality on the field at a high level.
“We’ve had a couple of guys take on the challenge and get ready to play,” Keating said, citing Jordan Quaile as an example. “Everybody at every position can handle the ball confidently for us right now. And that’s a real key.
“It’s hard for teams to look for a weakness and put pressure on that one individual. That has changed what we are doing on attack and we are also playing very good team defense. It’s not just our back line that defends. When we turn the ball over, we keep our shape and a number of people look to get it back right away. That’s been a real big difference for us.”
Nine different players have scored goals through the first eight games. Juan Torres led the team with five, Will Sternberg had four, James Pizzo three, Zach Alerte two, and Karim Hussamy two. Allan Ross, Michael Puskar, Owen Kenney and Paul Siegl each had one.
“I started playing with the varsity team last year as a freshman and we had a pretty good team,” Torres said, “This year we are a lot stronger with Karim coming back from IMG (Academy in Bradenton). He’s going to a Division One college and has really been helping us in the middle.
“The coach has put me in at left wing and moved James Pizzo up top to make the team a little faster on the sides. We have a year of experience together and we are getting much more confident. Our communication has improved tremendously.”
Having Hussamy back in the fold seems to have a calming effect on everyone.
“I’m really happy to be back at St. Ed’s and be a part of the soccer team for my senior year,” Hussamy said. “There is a lot of talent and potential on the team this year.
“But we have to continue to prove ourselves every time we step on the field and use each game as a way to identify our strengths and weaknesses. The postseason is far away and anything can happen, so we have to work hard and believe that we have what it takes to go the distance.”
Keating will continue sorting through injuries and making subtle changes like shuffling the attackers on the front line. He also wants to ensure that some of his veteran players comprehend the “pretty neat mix” on his roster.
“If the younger players show that they can play better ball than the seniors, then they are getting the time,” Keating explained. “The upperclassmen are still leaders and have been real good about it. They recognize that the younger, more talented players are taking their spots.
“We are trying to be as gracious and loyal as we can be with our seniors. They know we want to compete for a district championship.”
Senior Kevin Murphy was moved from center mid to center back and he has seen the team develop since he joined the varsity as a sophomore.
“It’s nice having this many (eight) seniors and we all get a chance to play.’’ Murphy said. “I’m excited about moving forward with this team. It’s a lot of fun to be out here with all of my friends. This year we are growing into it and I believe we are going to do really well.”
