By Alex Frazier
Meet…Anderson Gaussaint
Cheltenham’s Anderson Gaussaint hadn’t played formal soccer to any great extent before coming to the United States. Gaussaint is a native of Haiti, where he lived for his first 16 years.
Growing up on the island, Gaussaint played backyard ball in his neighborhood. In Haiti, as in many foreign countries, soccer wasn’t a school sport. If you wanted to play competitively, you had to join a club.
However, Gaussaint’s mother didn’t allow him to join a club because she was afraid that he might be injured and that medical complications could develop for which there might not be any recourse.
“In my school, we wanted to have a soccer team, but we didn’t make it,” said Gaussaint. “We had competition between classes.”
When he was 13 years old, he was awarded a medal as the highest scorer (10 goals) in his school’s intramural program.
“My soccer background is not that much,” he said.
In November of 2007, Gaussaint came to the U.S. to further his education. His mother still lives in Haiti. He is living with his aunt and uncle, who are his legal guardians, and his father is here as well.
Unfortunately he missed soccer season last year, but he did receive his mother’s approval to play. In February, he joined the Hunter Soccer Club, his first formal introduction to the sport.
This August he tried out for the Cheltenham High School team, and he has fit in very well.
“Since I was in Haiti, I always wanted to play with my classmates,” he said. “It’s a good experience. I love my teammates. I have new friends. I’m happy.”
Gaussaint has always had a striker’s mentality.
“I’ve always been a forward type,” he said. “I like that kind of play.”
Through Monday, he has scored eight goals this year for the much-improved Panthers. And with four games remaining, he said, “I’m planning to get more.”
Academically, Gaussaint is as good a student as he is a soccer player—maybe better. He ranks in the top 25 percent of his class.
At first he had some trouble with the language. He had decent command of the written language from his studies in Haiti, but he hadn’t had enough practice orally.
“I had a lot of vocabulary but not a lot of practicing,” he said. “It was a little bit difficult for me.”
He said that in some respects school is easier here because he gets to choose many of his subjects, whereas in Haiti he had to take a set curriculum.
Gaussaint has only brought credit to his school and soccer team in his short stay.
As his soccer coach Nick Zegestowsky said. “He is a terrific student and an even better person/soccer player. He is mild mannered and very polite.”
Next year he plans to stay in the States for college. He is applying to the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Penn State and Syracuse.
He wants to major in either architecture or engineering.
“I’m planning to play soccer,” he said. “I got a lot of information about it, and it’s difficult to be an athlete and study at the same time, but I’m going to try and do it.”
He said he definitely wants to return to Haiti in the future—maybe retire there.
“I expect to go back there,” he said. “I have family there. I want to go back. I’m planning to study here and work and after that maybe go back for my retirement, even earlier than that if I can. I love my country.”
Although Gaussaint graduates this year, don’t forget the name. You’ll be hearing it soon again.
His two younger brothers are also living in the states. Olivier is a student at Elkins Park Middle School and Bettino is at Cheltenham Elementary School.
It won’t be long before they are contributing to the Panthers’ success.
“I’m setting the example,” said Anderson.
Council Rock South taking wing – A month ago the Golden Hawks were still fledglings, flapping their wings but not yet taking flight.
Four weeks of maturing, however, has changed that. Now the Hawks are beginning to soar. Unfortunately, there’s only three games left in the season and with a 6-8-1 overall mark and a 4-7 record in the SOL, it is unlikely, though not impossible, that they will be awarded a playoff berth.
“I knew it would be competitive,” said coach Alan Nicholl. “I thought we’d do a little bit better against the stronger opponents.”
Nicholl, however, hasn’t thrown in the towel yet. In a very competitive National Conference, anything can happen.
Coming into the season, Nicholl knew he had a young team. Of 10 seniors on the roster, only 4-5 start.
“We have a lot of younger players playing,” he said. “Our inexperience shows, and when you make mistakes against good teams, good teams beat you. We got a little exposed because of our lack of experience.”
On top of that, South moved up to the tougher National Conference, where even some of the traditionally weaker teams like Bensalem and Harry S Truman have the potential to knock off the upper echelon teams, a case in point being Bensalem’s wins over Neshaminy and William Tennent.
“They’re certainly a team that can’t be taken lightly,” said Nicholl.
Rock South, in fact, lost to Neshaminy twice by a margin of seven goals.
“It’s been one of the more competitive seasons we’ve been in,” said Nicholl. “We’re feeling that transition into that bigger division. It’s a really strong division. The wins are tough to come by.”
Despite the Golden Hawks’ record, Nichol has been very pleased with the improvement. And while he is not looking ahead to next year just yet, the future indeed looks bright, as some of his younger players gain considerable experience.
Nicholls points to overtime losses against Council Rock North and Abington as being indicative of just how far the Hawks have come.
“I was particularly pleased with our game against Council Rock North,” he said. “It’s always an exciting night for the kids on both sides. We lost to them 2-1 in overtime, but it was just a tremendous effort.
“We lost to Abington 4-1 three weeks ago and then played them this week and lost in overtime in a game that I thought we were unfortunate not to win. The turnaround to what we’d done a few weeks ago to what we did in the return game just goes to show there’s really very little between the teams that are sitting one and two and those that are sitting five and six.
“I’m looking for us to make it difficult for teams to beat us which we struggled with early in the season.”
Rock South has one of the best players in the league in Greg Cochrane. He is the Hawks’ leading scorer and one of the team captains.
“He’s a very, very talented player,” said Nicholl. “He comes with a tremendous amount of energy. There’s very little he doesn’t do for us on the field, whether it’s his energy, his tackling, his passing, his shooting, his scoring. We really do ask an awful lot of him.”
Cochrane will attend Virginia Tech next year.
Two of his senior teammates have also excelled this season. John Cantwell started the year at defense but was moved up to midfield and then to forward. Against C.B. West on Senior Night, Cantwell racked up a pair of goals in a 3-1victory.
“We’re shuffling him around at this point,” said Nicholl. “He gives us a lot of different options because of his versatility. He just says, ‘Coach, where do you need me today?’ He’s having quietly a very good season.”
Captain Matt Kops has been a leader in the back as the team’s goalie.
“He has really kept a tremendously positive attitude,” said Nicholl. “He’s a wonderful athlete. He’s been on the wrong end of a couple results, but it’s certainly not for lack of effort. I’ve been very impressed with his maturity and motivation in spite of our record. He comes out and plays hard in every game.”
Several younger players are the hope of the future. Sophomore Ryan Laska has played well at center midfield, complementing Cochrane.
“I’m very happy with the season he’s having,” said Nicholl.
Junior Jack Littleton moved from midfield to defense and has been a catalyst there.
“He shored up that position,” said Nicholl. “He’s one of the reasons we’re playing better now than we were a month ago. His athleticism in the back has given us a different look. Our entire back line has become tighter since he moved into that spot.”
Finally, another junior, Zach Orenstein has played so well that Nicholl has been able to shift Cochrane to more advantageous positions.
“He’s just absolutely a barrel of energy,” said Nicholl. “I’m very, very pleased at Zach’s ability to run that spot and run it as efficiently as he has.”
While the younger players may be struggling some with their inexperience this year, the time they’re gaining on the field will only pay dividends down the road.
“The exposure they’re getting is going to be hugely beneficial to them over the long run,” said Nicholl.
Should Rock South make the playoffs, the Golden Hawks will be a dangerous squad. If any team looks past them, it will be packing its gear for another season.
“We’re playing the best soccer we’ve been playing this year right now,” said Nicholl. “It’s a real credit to the kids.”
Around the league – There were several upsets this week. Central Bucks South toppled top-rated Pennsbury 1-0 in a non-league contest Tuesday after the Falcons solidified their first-place position in the National Conference with a 3-2 win over William Tennent the previous evening.
That same night they received some help from Neshaminy, which defeated Council Rock North in double overtime on an own goal.
In another crossover game, Central Bucks East had its hand full with a feisty Wissahickon squad, which didn’t fall until Fran Miler’s overtime goal, which gave the Patriots a 1-0 win. East had clinched a tie for the Continental Conference title with a 2-0 win over Hatboro-Horsham the day before.
SuburbanOneSports.com's Top Five SOL teams
1. Pennsbury
2. Central Bucks east
3. Council Rock North
4. Neshaminy
5. (Alex must still be pondering this one!)
Southeastern Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association
(Through Sunday, Oct. 5)
1. Lower Merion. . . 10-1-0
2. Downingtown West. . . 11-1-0
3. Central Bucks East. . . 11-1-0
4. Pennsbury. . . 11-2-1
5. Father Judge. . . 10-1-1
6. North Catholic. . . 9-0-2
7. Council Rock North. . . 8-3-1
8. St. Joseph's Prep. . . 10-3-0
9. Holy Ghost Prep. . . 10-2-1
10. Archbishop Wood. . . 12-0-1
11. Strath Haven. . . 9-2-1
12. Germantown Academy. . . 7-2-2
13. Upper Darby. . . 10-1-2
14. Conestoga. . . 9-1-0
15. W.C. Henderson. . . 11-3-0
16. Haverford School. . . 5-1-1
17. Washington. . . 7-0-1
18. Abington. . . 8-4-1
19. Neshaminy. . . 7-3-1
20. Octorara. . . 10-2-1
Others receiving votes: William Tennent, Marple Newtown, Bayard Rustin, Wissahickon, Christopher Dock, Shipley, Bartram, Central, Radnor, Lansdale Catholic, Great Valley, Unionville, Pennridge, Pottsgrove, LaSalle, Hatboro-Horsham.
PSCA/Angelo's Soccer Poll
Week of Oct. 5
1. Lower Merion (1) previous rank3
2. Downingtown West (1) 1
3. Redland (3) 2
4. Mt. Lebanon (7) 4
5. Central Bucks East (1) 6
6. Father Judge (12) 5
7. Nazareth (11) 9
8. Franklin Regional (7) 7
9. Manheim Township (3) 8
10. Warwick (3) HM
Honorable Mention: Abington (1), Bethlehem Freedom (11), Council Rock North (1), Ephrata (3), Erie Cathedral Prep (10), Norwin (7), Pennsbury (1), Red Lion (3), Upper Darby (1), Wyoming Valley West (2).
NSCAA/adidas® Region III Rankings
Oct. 7
1. St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) 9 - 0 - 0
2. Mount Lebanon (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 15 - 0 - 0
3. Lower Merion (Merion, Pa.) 10 - 1 - 0
4. Ramapo (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) 5 - 0 - 1
5. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 6 - 1 - 0
6. Downingtown West (Downingtown, Pa.) 11 - 1 - 0
7. The Pingry School (Martinsville, N.J.) 7 - 0 - 1
8. Central Bucks East (Doylestown, Pa.) 11 - 1 - 0
9. Father Judge (Philadelphia, Pa.) 10 - 1 - 1
10. Red Land Senior (Lewisberry, Pa.) 12 - 2 - 0
11. Rancocas Valley (Mt. Holly, N.J.) 7 - 0 - 1
12. Harrison (N.J.) 8 - 1 - 0
13. Manheim Township (Lancaster, Pa.) 11 - 2 - 2
14. Columbia (Maplewood, N.J.) 8 - 1 - 0
15. Nazareth (Nazareth, Pa.) 14 - 1 - 1
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