Seton-La Salle sets higher standards in soccer
Section banners may be par excellence for some scholastic sports squads. Not the Seton-La Salle boys’ soccer team, however. The Rebels maintain higher expectations.
“Goals are always the same for Seton-La Salle,” said head coach Ryan Kelly. “Win the section. Win another WPIAL championship. And, do our best to book a trip to Hershey in November. It’s been awhile since we’ve done more than win section. I’d hope that resonates with our group as we head into the season.”
Many of this year’s Rebels remember last season’s mediocrity, not the five WPIAL titles the team has captured since 2002. Seton-La Salle also last claimed PIAA state championships in 2006 and 2008. The Rebels were state runners-up in 2009. In 2014, SLS posted a 10-9 overall record after losing in the first round of the Class A playoffs.
“We did not do a good job scoring in the run of play last season and it crushed us in the majority of games. We also need to have a better season defending. I thought we had a tendency to be lazy in the defensive third, which led to an uncomfortable amount of soft goals.”
Despite those facts, the Rebels managed to share the Section 3-A title with Carlynton. Both finished with 9-3 marks, ahead of Bishop Canevin and Avonworth, both of whom tied for second place in the division.
“Based on what teams have returning, Carlynton and Avonworth appear to be favorites on paper. Though Canevin lost a lot, they always give us a difficult game,” Kelly said. “It’s the usual suspects in our section fighting for that top spot. Last season, it was about as close as you could get between the four of us.”
How close the Rebels come to achieving their goals this season depends upon the players and whether or not they rise to the level of competition.
“If we play within our formation and effectively defend against the counterattack, I think we can be successful,” said Kelly. “We need to match the compete level of our opponent each game, which is something lacking from 2014. The graduates are long gone. It’s time for some of these current guys, who have been along for the ride the past few years, to decide to be leaders.”
Gone from last year’s club are goal-scorers such as Justin Nedzesky and Colin Stewart. Nedzesky produced eight goals, four of them gamewinners. Stewart registered seven tallies. “We have some holes to fill up front,” Kelly said. In addition to losing the leadership and athleticism of James Mallon and Nick Pazuchanics in the midfield, the Rebels graduated their third starting goalkeeper in three years. Matt Rodiatis tended the nets.
Eight veterans, however, are expected to lead the Rebels. They are seniors: Leo Wilson (five goals, six assists), Brandon Benedetti (six goals), Nick Messina (one goal) and Morgan Samuels (one goal, one assist); juniors: Christopher Stack (three goals, six assists), Ryan Kendrick (two goals), Luke Mallon and Jared Capozza.
“They all started a significant chunk of games last season,” Kelly said of his lettermen. “They have a solid two years of experience. Some have been starting every game over that span.”
In addition to Stack and Kendrick, Kelly anticipates that freshman Kellen Krebs will play a major role on the club and junior Jake Gigliotti should plug the gap in goal.
“Chris and Ryan gave us boosts off the bench as freshmen and did it as starting sophomores,” Kelly explained. “With another year of them getting bigger and stronger, they’ll take over games and generate a lot of offense. Kelly should be an impact player and Jake is ready to fill the opening in the net.”
Juniors Zach Straub and Oliver Glitz along with sophomores Mike Allen and Brendan Turnbell also are looking for their opening to help the Rebels. Kelly expects the foursome to be key subs for Seton, which expects to be technically sound and more possession-oriented than past seasons.
“I think we have capable guys to be creative on set pieces,” Kelly said. “With the skill level of some of the guys, it really shouldn’t be a problem. The overall goal by playing this way is we can have more possession of the ball, which will allow us to out-chance our opponents. We also return our defense so we should be able to build on that.”