Note from Ben Winderman: Although the SuburbanOneSports.com is mostly focused on the daily highlights and accomplishments of players, teams, and contests of the SOL, I was asked to take time out to talk with Central Bucks East girls’ soccer coach Paul Eisold and offer some reflection for not only their extraordinary success but also some insight about their performance over the last five years, the period of time that Eisold has been CB East head coach.
Winderman’s column below is sponsored by the Central Bucks East Girls’ Soccer Booster Club.
Patriot Progress
CB East Girls Soccer and Their Ascendance to Excellence
By Ben Winderman
Many of us recognize Patriot soccer, on the girls and boys side, for the historic light they’ve shone on their Buckingham bricks, and although soccer success is nothing new to East teams, the recent surge in soccer Patriotism has turned many new heads beyond the reach of Anderson Road, Herbst Fields, and Bob Klien’s beard.
While the East boys’ program has always set the standard for Bucks-Mont excellence, Suburban One dominance, District One elitism, and PIAA significance, the Patriot girls’ ascendance has been more recent and, in some ways, more surprising. It is only within the last five seasons that East girls soccer has tattooed its presence on the Pennsylvania high school soccer map, forcing traditional powers such as CB West, Neshaminy, Pennsbury, Pennridge, CB South, Archnishop Wood, and Villa Joe Marie to share the spotlight; turns out there is a plenty big bulb.
This past fall, the CB East girls advanced to their first ever district final game against the Falcons of Pennsbury, and after recovering from a setback, they scorched their way to the semifinals of the states versus The Big Macs of District 7’s Canon-McMillan. Finishing 2014 with a record of 19-4-3, a far cry from 2009’s 5-13 East girls mark, and knowing that players like Emma Loving, Maddie Myrtetus, Hannah Zak, and Katie Dolf return next year has East faithful feeling optimistic for many opportunities to cheer.
Coach Eisold speaks with more caution, knowing that the competition his team will face will often match or surpass their speed, skill, and stamina. Reluctance to speculate beyond modest boundaries makes sense in this case although since switching to fall in 2010, the East girls have compiled 69 wins while suffering only 28 setbacks. Furthermore, when considering that 10 of those losses were in either District or State playoff games and several others came at the hands of league and non-league opponents who would go on to win those titles, it is a striking span of success, a promise of resilience, and a testament to how often these Patriots play well.
Their formula consists of efficient “team-first” soccer, opportunistic forwards, and a willingness to sacrifice safety, ego, and elegance. Hard-nose defenders like Abby Emmert, Holly Moyer, Emily Horn, Paige Weiss, and Abby Brown have set the tone while lightning fast flanks like Kristen Murphy, Nicole Panella, and Danielle DeMichael cover ground; savvy midfielders like Annie Axenroth, Aimmie Chimera, and Maddie Myrtetus combine creative with blue-collar, and tough GK’s like Paige Marcinkowski give away nothing easy. But it’s the relentless attackers the likes of Ammie Chimera, Shaun Kane, and Emma Loving that have lifted East’s program most profoundly.
When Kane and Loving found a strike-partnership with each other in 2013, Patriot opponents could only hope for opportunities squandered as keeping Kane and Loving quiet for 80 minutes was like keeping the beach dry. In some sense, what Coach Eisold has done best with his teams is the absence of too much: plenty of hard training, the encouragement of direct play, and a minimal amount of governing, fiddling, meddling, and puppeteering. At East, the players get to test their best against the league’s, district’s, and state’s stars/studs; and no matter what the foe’s jersey says, where their kids play club, and how well they can hold possession, most often Eisold’s girls find victory’s way.
When I asked Coach Eisold to share his perspectives and explanations of East’s rise to perennial state contender, he began immediately to discuss the quality of his coaching staff and the idea of having ambassadors of Central Bucks East soccer in positions to influence players positively.
“(Our) assistant coaches are awesome,” Eisold said. “All of them are individually connected to the program in some way; either they played soccer at East, had a child play at East, have a sister at East, or will have a child play at East.
“Putting good people in leadership roles,” the head man explained, “has helped the players and captains buy into the program.”
Contributions from his staff and the list of special players who wore the jersey may compose the majority of peach in this progress pie, but Eisold also mentions other important ingredients that may be hard to measure and impossible to slice, but easy to recognize, and essential to applaud.
Among those less recognized fillings is the admirable work of CB East’s Athletic Director, John Reading. It’s a rare moment when athletic directors get compliments so buckle up; mostly, AD’s move teams, administer volumes of growing policy, equip and thanklessly assign teams practice space and schedule, reschedule, and reschedule, provide security, mediate idiocy, and field phone calls which require supernatural diplomacy.
John Reading does all of those things quietly. He is special not only in his professional ethic, integrity, and positive performance, but all Patriot student athletes are fortunate that their school has an AD who actually gets soccer (and soccer players), appreciates the skill and brutality of the sport, knows the nuances, supports the culture, and travels wherever and whenever to be in his teams’ sideline.
Central Bucks athletes are blessed at CB West as well, and the extraordinary success of Continental Conference soccer programs is not accidental. AD’s like John Reading (East), Sean Kelly (West), and Tom Quintois (Souderton) deserve a blue card (ribbon) for keeping high school soccer relevant and managing a difficult set of circumstances (and people) with consistently sincere soccer valid intentions.
“Central Bucks East soccer” according to Coach Eisold, “has also has cultivated camaraderie and true friendship between their boys and girls programs.”
This reality is the product of the conscious and conscientious behavior of their players, parents, and in particular their head coaches. It isn’t just good luck. Suburban One soccer folks might realize that it is rare to participate in a local soccer conversation during which the name Mike Gorni isn’t mentioned (dropped), but seldom does Coach Gorni earn recognition for his psychological/ social expertise. Regardless of gender, school, position, disposition, or address, Mike Gorni makes time for the area’s soccer players, and his fuse ballers have learned to imitate their coach’s generous behavior.
Before Eisold took over as head coach in 2010, the East girls program was managed by the collaboration of head coach Paul Duddy (NP Boys), Pat Lordi (Pennridge and Q’town boys) and Mike Gorni. Even during times of soccer mediocrity, Coach Gorni always wore a smile, shared a lollipop, and made East girls a priority. In speaking with Coach Eisold, his enthusiasm to acknowledge the respect that he has for Mike Gorni is genuine. Eisold explains the influence that Gorni and the boys’ program has had upon his girls, and the lessons this legendary soccer coach bestows upon him, his staff, and East players of both chromosome distinction.
“Mike Gorni continues to challenge me as an individual and helps create a positive environment for the East girls,” Eisold reflects. “We continue to work together developing players at the high school and club level. The boys have been a contributing factor for our success, and as both teams work to ‘keep up’ with each other, great fun and enjoyment is generated.
“The East boys and the East girls support each other’s efforts in practice and in games; boys go to girls matches and girls go to boys; the players participate in planned socials that are for both programs.”
Both of Eisold’s sons, midfielder JR and defender Will, started for the 2014 East boys’ district and conference championship squad, and both were selected as all-conference players. His son’s soccer success clearly triggers joy in his heart as it is rare that Paul can actually watch them wear the East jerseys.
As coach Eisold explains, “Success is a result of sacrifice;” but missing his son’s games, as they share the field for the Patriot boys is a truly harsh test Paul’s endurance, and although his commitment to the girls’ program is steadfast, so too is his dedication as a dad. Like many coaches, Eisold takes it season by season, and like many players, soccer - in some way, shape, or form - plays a primary role in most of his days. He shares the game with his family, his players, his colleagues, and his friends, and somehow, year after year, he consistently finds a way.
As for his East girls consistently finding ways to win, Coach Eisold knows that it comes from becoming a unit, and that although winning does help his players to “buy in,” nothing about next year should be taken for granted. He recognizes the importance of his role as coach but only speaks of himself in that role when asked to explain a difficult loss. He praises players for their triumphs and often attempts to take blame for their stumbles.
“I didn’t prepare them well enough,” he said after this year’s state semifinal loss to Canon-McMillan.
“It was my fault for not getting them ready for those two (Neshaminy attacker’s Megan Shafer and Gabby Farrell)” he claimed after 2013’s district defeat to the eventual state champ Lady Skins.
In doing so, he offers his critics an unsatisfying form of affirmation and gives his players a softer landing from defeat. It’s his choice and his habit to avoid credit and accept blame, but I’m hoping that he takes a moment to take it all in.
His sons didn’t get good accidentally and his team’s don’t improve each year by happenstance. 19-3-4 is ridiculous and he’s done it two years in a row. State semi-finalists breathe in the rarest of air and his ability to teach sacrifice in a community not known for its selflessness is incredibly impressive. Yes Coach Eisold’s assistants are outstanding and each of them deserve recognition and acknowledgment: starting with Mark Eisold (Paul’s brother), Paul Krumenacker, Paul Lichter, Jason Obetz and Theresa Weiss, East’s staff is competent and complete.
In addition, CB East has had some special players worthy of special mention: Taylor Myzsa, Jessica Hau, Ally Walker, Paige Marcinkowski, Holly Moyer, Nicole Pannella, Shaun Kane, and Emma Loving.
Next season will be Emma Loving’s senior campaign, and coming off a junior season that shattered school scoring records, elevated her team’s capability exponentially, and honored her as the league’s most valuable player, 2015 could foster expectations that are not only lofty but also unrealistic. In the state semifinals, it was evident that the wear and tear had taken its toll, and Loving struggled for separation from CM’s suffocating defense. Eisold praised the weary junior who wears #8 for her movement, her skill, and her reservoir of power. Exhausted and disappointed on the turf of Chambersburg Area High School, he made sure to credit his entire roster for a historic season, blame himself entirely for the defeat, share the frustration of missing many his two sons’ wonderful performances, and mention with a glimmer of joy that “Emma is only a junior.
Even beat up by the players assigned to #8 from every team in every game, Loving still found a way to create; she still found a way to score. Under Coach Paul Eisold, CB East has found a way to the district finals and twice to the state semis. As for a Continental Division championship, that path still goes through Pennridge, and as for the state championship, those tracks roll their way to Hershey. If there’s a player who can it’s Emma Loving and if there’s a coach who knows it, it’s Paul Eisold. If there is a way, they will find it together, and the search will be worth the sacrifice.
Since the fall of 2010, the Patriots have populated their non-league schedule with the likes of Villa Joseph Marie, Strath Haven, and West Chester Rustin. Several of those non-league games come to memory, particularly a 2013 away game during which Villa Joseph Marie out-possessed, outplayed, out-talented, out-chanted, out-cornered, out-shot, and out-dressed the Patriots. Villa scored first and looked poised to score again when East’s Nicole Panella, who wore #7, throttled a direct kick from 30 out that knuckled under the cross-bar to tie the game. Somehow East’s goal disrupted Villa Joe’s momentum, and somehow East’s speed discombobulated Villa Joe’s attack; somehow Holly Moyer neutralized Villa’s potency, and somehow Shaun Kane scored the game-winner at some time deep in the second half. Somehow those out-manned, outplayed, outshot, out-skilled, out-cornered, out-possessed, out-chanted players from out-past Furlong, out-hustled, outlasted, and outscored their hosts and just like at Lexington, Concord, Bennington, Ticonderoga, Saratoga, Trenton, Camden, and Yorktow,n the team in blue found a way to win the day.
Like his friend and mentor Mike Gorni, who has engineered so many wins over superior sides, like his coach at East Stroudsberg (Jerry Sheska) who knows how to let great players play, and like his coach at Archbishop Wood (Joe Krantz) who knows that special only helps if it’s anchored to team, Coach Paul Eisold has anchored the CB East girls soccer program in a harbor free from tyranny, where victory shoots like John Paul Jones, Nicole Panella, Shaun Kane, and Emma Loving, and next season promises bravery, camaraderie, and Patriotism.
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