A boys’ soccer notebook will be posted on the site bi-weekly with Craig Ostroff featuring a different team from each conference in the notebooks.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
When Alec Neumann was a freshman on the Council Rock North boys’ soccer squad, he had the chance to learn from the best ... his brother Stephen.
Stephen Neumann was a senior when his younger brother stepped onto the field for the Indians for the first time in 2009. He captained the squad and was named the National Conference Player of the Year (He's now a standout sophomore for Georgetown University).
Two years -- and two All-League selections later -- the younger Neumann is proving that he's not going to live in anyone's shadow ... he's more than able to blaze his own trail.
"When Alec was a freshman, Steve was a senior captain," said Indians coach Wendell Beres. "He started off as Stephen's little brother. He's no one's little brother anymore."
After two years playing primarily in the midfield, Alec has been moved to his natural position at forward for his junior year. And he's brought his game to a new level.
"Alec showed up this year and turned up his game in work ethic and attitude," Beres said. "He's motivated to be a leader to this team."
Neumann's value to the team comes not only in his ability to put the ball in the back of the net, but also in his ability to draw out opposing defenses and let his teammates set up the offense.
"He's great at holding the ball, and defenses have to key in on him," Beres said. "He's great at clearing up space, things like that. He has a very high soccer IQ. He knows where to be and when to be there."
And while he may not be a senior, he's more than capable of directing traffic and offering suggestions during games.
"He's very vocal. He talks more than we do on the field," Beres said. "He's always quick to come to us with ideas and things he sees out there.”
Neumann -- who has also been known to pick up cones and fill water bottles after practice -- will be joined by seniors Matt Zima and Chris Kulczytzky as captains on this year's Indians' team. Both earned all-league honors last year, Zima on Second Team and Kulczytzky on Third Team.
"I think the trio of captains we have are the best we've had since I've been here," Beres said. "Matt is more the bulldog. He gets in your face, does all the dirty work. Chris is the quiet one. He doesn't say much, but he leads by example, and he's very respected."
Also returning for Council Rock North is senior goalkeeper Will Terry, one of only three National Conference First Team selections who did not graduate. An unconventional goalkeeper who "doesn't do anything by the book," according to Beres, any team that wants to take down Council Rock North will face the unenviable task of trying to beat Terry.
The Indians' tri-captains, their experienced goalkeeper, and every other player on the field are going to have to give their all if the squad hopes to capture the conference title this year. And it won't be an easy task in what Beres expects will be a wide open battle.
"There's no clear conference frontrunner this year," Beres said. "I couldn't tell you who's going to win the conference. There are five horses in the race. It's going to come down to which (teams') leaders can make the rest of the guys better and make the team come together."
CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE
Take a look at the 2010 Continental Conference First Team. Ten of the 11 First Teamers have graduated and moved on.
Pennridge coach Pete Valimont can relate. He returns just one starter from last year's district-qualifying team on his 2011 squad. But that one starter is going to play a huge role in the development and success of this year's Rams team.
If the Rams hope to return to districts this season, the efforts of senior captain Michael Gaito will counted upon perhaps more than any other leader’s performance in the league.
"As Michael goes, we're going to go," Valimont said. "This is his senior year. We've been to districts all three years that he's been here. He wants to go out by making it to districts again.
"You can call this a rebuilding year, we lost a lot of players and a lot of starters, but we have players that can play, that have talent."
Gaito, who was an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection last year, brings with him plenty of club experience as well as a tradition for winning with the Rams.
"He really plays at a high level," Valimot said. "He's played in Europe on his club team. It's prepared him well to be a leader for us."
Gaito will be joined by seniors Jake Stear and Scott Moyer and junior Joe Masgai as captains on a squad that will carry five sophomores and one freshman on its varsity roster. Most notable among the underclassmen is Zack Jarrett, the sophomore who will step into the starting role as the goalkeeper for Pennridge.
"Zack was the only freshman who played last year," Valimont said. "He's our go-to-goalie, and I expect that he will be for the next three years. If he plays to his abilities, he's eventually going to be a First Teamer. He has the ability to get to that level. And even though he's a sophomore, he's not afraid to direct the older guys."
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Last season played out like a dream for the Wissahickon boys’ soccer club but ended with a nightmare. Undefeated throughout the regular season, the Trojans entered the PIAA District One playoffs as the top seed. But a loss in the quarterfinals ended their bid for the district title and ended their chance of a berth in the state tournament.
That Wissahickon team lost seven starters to graduation but brings back numerous All-Conference selections this year. Three in particular will be crucial to the Trojans' success.
Wissahickon's captains for the 2011 season are seniors Stefan Dasbach, Joe Farrell and Dan Matthews. All three were All-League in 2010 (Farrell and Matthews were named First Teamers, Dasbach was Second Team). And all three want to get Wissahickon above and beyond what last year's squad accomplished.
"We got a pleasant surprise last year the way our season ended up," said Wissahickon coach Stuart Malcolm. "But we fell short of what we wanted to do. I'd like to go further, but we lost seven starters. It's critical for us that those three are the leaders and will be able to mold the young players and bring them along."
Dasbach and Farrell will likely switch between defense and midfield throughout the season, while Matthews -- last season's leading scorer -- will again drive the offense. Though it's still very early in the season, the trio has helped the Trojans win their first two games and head into Thursday's game against Upper Moreland looking to make it three straight league wins to start the season.
"We've very fortunate to have these three back," Malcolm said. "They lead by example. They're not really 'rah-rah' type of guys. They're 'Do what I do' kinds of guys. But they will make comments, state how things are, tell us what they see. They're doing exactly what we're hoping for from them."
But the senior captains are far from the only experienced -- and talented -- players on the Trojans' roster. Wissahickon also returns senior midfielders Eric Hibbs (American Conference Third Team) and Nick Nikic (Honorable Mention), and the youth movement is ready to step up as well, with underclassmen Cole Kropnick playing well at center midfield, and freshman Devon Memis netted the Trojans' first goal of the 2011 season.
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