Conestoga boys' soccer is good - again
Twelve games. Twelve wins. Twelve games. Forty-one goals for. Twelve games. Seven goals against. Twelve games. Six shutouts. Who said the Conestoga boys' soccer team wasn't going to be as good as it was last year?
Twelve games. Twelve wins.
Twelve games. Forty-one goals for.
Twelve games. Seven goals against.
Twelve games. Six shutouts.
Who said the Conestoga boys' soccer team wasn't going to be as good as it was last year?
Mason Miller, for one. Well, not exactly, although the senior admits to being a little worried before the season started.
"I thought, 'Oh gosh. We lost all these great players, and now what are we going to do?' " Miller said. "That motivated me, and I think the other seniors as well as juniors, to really step up and be leaders of the team."
And now the 12-0 squad is back to being the Conestoga that local soccer fans have known: one that wins - often. Since 2010, Pioneers teams have won five Central League titles as well as a District 1 Class 3A championship and PIAA state title in 2011.
"I don't know if it is pressure, but it definitely is exciting playing for Conestoga. It is one of the best feelings. We just have endless amounts of talent," junior Nick Jennings said. "Anyone that steps on the field with you, you know they are going to be good. I don't think many other schools can say that."
This group in particular knows a little something about that type of success as the senior class has played in 17 playoff games, including both District 1 and PIAA postseason matches, appearing in last season's District 1 Class 3A championship as well as the semifinals of the PIAA tournament.
"The three years I have been on the team the depth has been unreal," Jennings said. "I mean, we sub six guys in at a time. It really benefits us because we can run other teams to the ground."
The Pioneers have depth, discipline and a knack for coach David Zimmerman's style of play. It's a style defined by one-two touches, possession and keeping the ball on the ground, according to senior back Gabe Harms. It's also a style that works.
"I look at our team now and think that we can go far. We can go on to the state semifinal. We can go further. We can go to the state final," Harms said. "I have a lot of faith in this team. It hurts when I look back [to last year's state semifinal], but I try not to. I try to remain positive and take it every game [one] at a time."
"Save, Smith," was the call over the loudspeaker at Teamer Field on Saturday afternoon as Conestoga faced off against a nonleague opponent in Cumberland Valley.
Everything about the contest had the postseason feel. The game was tied at the half. The crowd was getting into it. Even the gloomy weather felt like early November.
But "Save, Smith," repeated several times over the public address system had a special déjà vu. It wasn't Will Smith in net, however. He's moved on to play at Lehigh. It was his younger brother, Luke.
Shortly after Smith's big save as time wound down, Harms took the ball down the right side and sent it across to Jennings, who buried it with less than a minute left in the contest.
"I think this game defines us as a team," Blaise Milanek said afterward.
The players on the field, those on the bench and the crowd erupted. Yes, it felt like the playoffs, but the goal felt like something else, like it was bigger than just late-game heroics.
It was as if the ball hitting the netting affirmed it. Of course, Conestoga was going to be good this year. Conestoga is always good.
This season would be no different.
@ka_harman