By Alex Frazier
Welcome to the 2010 season.This year brings some changes not only to me but also to soccer in general. For the first time in SOL history, the girls will be playing in the fall.
I believe that’s a good thing, but it does complicate things somewhat for me because now boys soccer will have to share the limelight.
This year’s coverage will be a bit different, but hopefully just as relevant and informative.
Since my time will be divided this year, I’m hoping to get some help from coaches, players, parents and interested fans. Anybody who has story ideas, remarkable accomplishments or extra-special game stories that the soccer community would be interested in, please contact suburbanonesports@comcast.net, and I will follow up on them.
Here is the tentative schedule for this season. Instead of going to games, we will be writing game wraps at least once a week for both girls and boys, usually on days when there are a lot of games being played.
Once a week there will also be a notebook, one week it will be for boys and the next for girls. That will alternate throughout the season. A new addition this year sponsored by Kick ‘N Wear is that each week a player from each conference will be highlighted as nominated by the coaches.
Welcome new coaches – Unlike the girls, there are very few new coaches this year as most who were doing both boys and girls opted to remain with the boys.
National Conference
Luke Gibson, William Tennent
Luke Gibson comes from Lancaster Bible College, where he was the assistant the past two years. The 2009 team turned in the most wins in school history and made the first NCCAA national tournament appearance in school history, achieving its first win against an NCAA Division 2 program.
Before that, he was head boys’ varsity coach for three years at Donegal High, where he led the team to its best record in 17 years.
A graduate of Millersville, he currently lives in Langhorne with his wife, who is Dean of Students in the Bristol Borough School District. He currently works as a Foster Care Social Worker.
Of his new team this year, he said, “At William Tennent we expect to compete each day and grow as a team and a program. Our goal is to develop a team environment that prepares young men for college on and off the field.”
American ConferenceDevon Landgraff, Plymouth Whitemarsh
Devon Landgraff replaces Nicolas Severini, who took over Lower Merion’s program this year.
Landgraff has a background in soccer, basketball and softball.
He started his coaching career at Alexander High School (NY), where he was the varsity girls’ soccer coach from 2001-04. His teams were Genesee County Champions in 2001, 2003 and 2004. In 2001 the team was also awarded the New York State Board of Officials Sportsmanship Award. He was named Genesee County Coach of the Year in 2003.
He was also the varsity boys basketball coach from 2001-2004, and was named Alexander High School Coach of the Year from 2001 to 2003. In 2004 his team won the New York State Section V Basketball Sportsmanship Award.
He also coached varsity softball and was named Genesee County Softball Coach of the Year in 2004.
Since then he has been the assistant women’s basketball coach and assistant women’s soccer coach at Bryn Mawr College.
Landgraff looks to continue the progress that Severini made with the Colonials the last few years.
“They have been working very hard in the off-season and have carried that intensity throughout the pre-season,” said Landgraff. “The Colonials are ready to be very competitive in the American Conference and have a goal of earning a playoff spot this season.”
Billy Hill, Upper Merion
Eleven-year assistant Billy Hill is replacing Tom Dodds, while he is on sabbatical this year.
Before that, he coached the jayvee team for three or four years and back in the 80's coached Upper Merion’s eighth grade soccer team for five years.
A Health and P.E. teacher at Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School, Hill also coached middle school baseball for 18 years
“Our goal, as always, is to win the league,” he said. “We want to compete in every game this year, and show the rest of the league that Upper Merion soccer is again on the rise.”
Suburban One Outlook – Here is a look at how the conferences could shape up and my predicted finishes. The one thing you can count on is that it won’t be right. That said, see if you can do any better.
National Conference
Pennsbury is in a strong position to defend its National Conference title. They're talented and deep front to back and coming off a 13-1 conference season. Along with Kyle MacDonald leading the attack, goalkeeper Pat Lesting is prepared from high-level club soccer, Sawyer Waters is a solid center back and Mike Loughery is a standout at midfield and on defense.
Council Rock South returns a lot of experience, which was evident in the Hawks’ first two wins of the season, including a 3-2 victory over Central League power Radnor. Quinn Kremp, Mike Spadaro, Lance Dotzman give South credibility.
Neshaminy is young in spots but certainly capable of contending with the best in the league. Sean Sheridan is one of the best players in the conference and will give the Redskins an advantage anywhere he plays on the field.
Council Rock North lost a lot of experience but is in reload mode coming off an 11-1-2 conference season. The Indians will look to Bryan Attanasio, who was the only junior in a class of seniors who made first team last year, to set the tone. The Indians will also rely on forward Raleigh Damico and midfielders Alec Neumann, Chris Kulczytzky and Nate Margolis.
Abington’s lineup features many first-time varsity players. Dan Lomady and Aiwa Mbwmbria will provide some scoring punch, while Ian McMillan and Ryan VanDorick will anchor the defense.
One thing you can count on about Abington is that the Ghosts will be competitive and a team not to be overlooked under veteran coach Randy Garber.
William Tennent lost every all-league player last year to graduation, so new coach Luke Gibson faces a rebuilding year.
Harry S Truman and Bensalem will once again battle for seventh place. Give the edge to Truman, which returns two all-league juniors Michael Camacho and Alex Rojas. Bensalem graduated both its all-league selections but returns Brandon Millan (sr., forward/mid), Dave Nightlinger (sr., defense), Kevin Kutner (sr., midfield/defense), Moises Scoloti (sr., mid/forward) and Dan Balas (sr., forward/mid).
mid), Dave Nightlinger (sr., defense), Kevin Kutner (sr., midfield/defense), Moises Scoloti (sr., mid/forward) and Dan Balas (sr., forward/mid).“We want to be competitive and do better than last year,” said second year coach Joe Leone. “The team is young and inexperienced but with a lot of heart. They’re competitive and have a great attitude.”
Predicted finish
1. Pennsbury
2. Council Rock South
3. Neshaminy
4. Council Rock North
5. Abington
6. William Tennent
7. Harry S Truman
8. Bensalem
Continental Conference
Overall the Continental Conference will be quite competitive as it was last year. The final standings will reflect just how well the younger players come along throughout the season.
Having said that, Pennridge will be the team to beat, even though the Rams finished fourth in the conference last year. They have a pair of one-two punches in brothers Ryan (goalie) and Kevin Bailey (forward), who are sure to take care of business at both ends of the field. They also return Dan Caya (midfielder), Tyler Henry (defender) and Tyler Lordi (defense/midfield).
“We have an experienced team and are hoping to do well in a very tough conference and make the district tournament,” said coach Peter Valimont.
After that it’s anybody’s guess.
Central Bucks East and Souderton both made it to the district semifinals last year and are proven programs over the years.
Defending champion Souderton lost 12 seniors from last year, not to mention first team goalie David Giannini, who transferred to Faith Christian. Needless to say, the Indians will be young this year, but they have a strong trio in forward Christian Benner, midfielder Trevor Bishop and defender Gary Guldin to guide the inexperienced players.
Central Bucks East has been hit with injuries early in the year including all-league goalie Shane Donovan, who recorded 16 shutouts last year. He’s out indefinitely with a fractured hip. The Patriots will be young in spots, but they will de a dangerous team.
North Penn is another team not to overlook. The Knights have a strong keeper in Sean Murphy. They also return all-leaguers Mike Robinson (midfield) and forward Chris Davidson.
Hatboro-Horsham is yet another team that could be in the mix. They return a batch of sophomores, including Connor Ryan (MF), Sasha Malofiy (MF), and Gabe Fernandes (GK) that saw a lot of field time as freshmen. If the juniors and sophomores meet the challenge, the Hatters will be a force to face.
Central Bucks South and C.B. West are question marks. The Titans return defender Ricky Pieri, while West has a pair of all-league juniors in keeper Ray Downs and forward Bryan Werner. The Bucks had a nice pre-season win over William Tennent, while South hammered New Hope.
The smallest school in the conference, Quakertown will still struggle against the rest of the league. However, the Panthers should be more competitive. They have a strong midfielder in Jake Barlow.
Predicted finish
1. Pennridge
2. North Penn
3. Central Bucks East
4. Souderton
5. Hatboro-Horsham
6. Central Bucks South
7. Central Bucks West
8. Quakertown
American Conference
Wissahickon is likely to defend its conference title this year. The Trojans return first team defender Olu Amudipe and a pair of junior second teamers Stefan Dasbach and Joe Farrell, as well as Javier Puga, a third team all-league selection.
In addition, Erik Riefenstahl, a third team selection as a sophomore, returns to the lineup after missing his entire junior year with a broken ankle.
Typically, the Trojans don’t fare too well in the district playoffs (last year they were ousted by Neshaminy in the first round), but coach Stuart Malcolm continues to upgrade the non-league schedule.
“We have an extremely competitive non-league schedule and we are hoping to achieve some positive results,” he said.
Although Cheltenham graduated three all-league players last year, they return B.J. Steutz at midfield, Doug Roman at defense, Martin Freeman at midfield, Ryan Cowen at midfield/forward, David Goldberg at forward and Michael Oh at midfield/forward.
The Panthers will also have good competition at the keeper position.
With a small senior and junior class, Upper Dublin coach Rick Schmidt has had to pull up more freshmen, yet the team is more balanced by class than it has ever been.
Schmidt will look to Armando Fogliano (midfielder), Drew Yekel (midfielder), Gabe Fellus (midfielder), Will Schultz (defense), and Jared Pfeffer (defender) to guide and support the youngsters.
“There’s a lot of young talent,” said Schmidt. “Time will tell how long it will take to put all of the pieces together since many are playing varsity for the first time. I believe there is a significant amount of potential with these players.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh, which was in hunt for a playoff spot down to the wire last year, is looking to take that step this year.
The Colonials are ready to be very competitive in the American Conference and have a goal of earning a playoff spot this season. They return all-league Cameron Scott, Kostro Fasliu and Matt Sabin to help lead the team to its first playoff birth in several years.
New coach David Landgraff will have 11 returning players from the solid season in 2009, as well as 10 juniors and one sophomore to add to the depth.
“These new additions to the team are coming from a junior varsity squad that went 17-2 and are ready to provide a lift to the Colonials in their quest for a playoff berth,” said Landgraff.
Upper Moreland should also be improved this year. They return first-team goalie Tim Uveges and Menvekah Daramay, considered by some to be the best player in the league, as well as Tommy Hays, Kyle Lynch and Jon Baez.
Upper Merion and Norristown should be more competitive this year. They each have one all-league player back. For the Vikings it is senior Matt Murphy, and for Norristown it is Eric Sylvester.
Predicted finish
1. Wissahickon
2. Cheltenham
3. Upper Dublin
4. Plymouth Whitemarsh
5. Upper Moreland
6. Upper Merion
7. Norristown
Around the league – There have already been some interesting results in both intra-league play and non-league games.
Souderton and Abington battled to a scoreless draw. It was about as close as it gets with the Indians outshooting Abington 5-4 and the Ghosts out-cornering Souderton 4-3.
As has been typical the last couple of years in its season opener, Wissahickon played Council Rock North to a 0-0 deadlock.
In its first two games, Plymouth Whitemarsh scored a combined 14 goals against Bonner and Friends Select. Sounds like a football game.
In non-league action, Pennsbury edged an always-tough Strath Haven 1-0, and Council Rock South took down another tough Central League team Radnor, 3-2. The Golden Hawks also defeated intra-league rival Hatboro-Horsham 3-1.
Harry S Truman won its first game with a 1-0 victory over Academy Park.
Pennridge defeated Council Rock North in another intra-league game, 2-1.
SOL Pre-Season Top 5
1. Pennsbury
2. Pennridge
3. Council Rock South
4. Neshaminy
5. Wissahickon
NSCAA Region III Poll
(Sept. 7)
Rank Team Record
1. Seton Hall Prep (NJ) 0-0-0
2. Unionville 1-0-0
3. St. Benedict’s (NJ) 0-0-0
4. Pennington School (NJ) 0-0-0
5. Central Dauphin 0-0-0
6. Mt. Lebanon 0-0-2
7. LaSalle 0-0-1
8. Don Bosco Prep (NJ) 0-0-0
9. Pennsbury 1-0-0
10. Father Judge 1-0-0
11. Pingry School (NJ) 0-0-0
12. Pennridge 1-0-0
13. Haverford School 0-1-0
14. Manheim Twp. 2-0-0
15. Rancocas Valley (NJ) 0-0-0
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