Soccer

Keepsake

Monticello edges SW in waning moments of second OT in defensive gem

By RICHARD A. ROSS

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — Keepers call the goal cage their house, and those few who are truly invested in that property will go to extreme lengths to insure its sanctity. As a young Sullivan West team met with coach Debbie Owen before the match, she warned them about Monticello senior keeper Dennis Stafford.

“You’re not going to beat him with a cheap goal. You’re going to have to work balls from side to side and try to get a cross. Follow your shots. We want to get a goal early,” she advised.

Owen was right about Stafford, whose presence in net was a major factor in Monticello’s 1-0 double overtime win over the Dawgs on September 10. Stafford made a number of key saves among the 13 he recorded on the day, and was a vocal administrator of his defense. Each time the ball approached, he shouted instructions to players about unmarked Bulldogs, when to drop back and when to go on the attack.

Near the goal, Stafford’s teammates heeded his every admonition.

At the opposite end of the field was keeper Logan Grishaber, one of four starters to return to the team from last year’s stellar squad. Grishaber matched Stafford in his intensity and his guile, showing his maturing skills as he punched some balls aside, hefted others over the top of the cage and caught those within his grasp. For 96 minutes and 43 seconds, he kept Sullivan West’s goal intact, until Monticello finally broke through in a game that appeared destined to be a tie.

With 3:17 remaining in the second overtime period, a throw in from Monticello sophomore Colin Bunce found its way teetering in front of the net, and in a nanosecond, Alex Castro banged it home through a sea of white jerseys for what would become the game winner.

Owen’s team is young, but they are not feint of heart. For the remainder of the three-plus minutes, they played like demons, trying to get the tying goal. In the end, they were plagued by the same problem that had beset them all day, the inability to finish.

Without the kind of lethal scorers the Dawgs have been blessed with in the past, like Jonathan Reynold, Kienan Garn or Kevin Cappiello, Sullivan West lacks a serious scoring threat. Justin Armstrong’s two goals against Downsville insured the Dawgs’ sole win of the season against three early defeats. But there are others up front who can and will score, including veterans Jesse Fadis and Eric Minton. It’s just going to take some time to get all the right pieces in place.

In the first half, both teams struggled to find offense, and the defenses prevailed. Sullivan West’s Rich Feeney repulsed a couple of balls blasted towards the goal by Monticello’s William Watson and Diego Cabezas.

Grishaber got his first save about 15 minutes in on a ball launched by Kyle Bennett.

Stafford’s skills were not only evinced in his goal protection but also in his long-range punts that sent balls far upfield and put pressure on Sullivan West defenders to hurry back.

Monticello struggled last year, winning only against Liberty and Port Jervis, while the Bulldogs enjoyed a breakout year that propelled them into the sectionals, where they lost to Highland.

Graduation always takes its toll in terms of numbers, but it hurt Sullivan West in the extreme with the loss of Garn, Garrett Owen, Cappiello, Ross Bernhardt, all former captains. Colin Seidl, another key piece in last year’s haymaking, opted to run cross-country this fall, as his future lies in track .

Only striker Justin Armstrong, keeper Grishaber, Feeney and Minton return from the starting ranks of the 2006 crafty crew that went 8-4-2 before losing to Highland. Other returnees include Kevin Correa, Gaston Owen, Harold Smith, James Spruill and Mitchell Ellmauer.

Unlike Monticello, Sullivan West has no junior varsity program. New to the fold are freshman Lucas Bauer, Christopher Ellison, Andy Kinch and Alex Lander, along with sophomores Robert Rosa, Evan Decker and Brice Billard. Junior Justin Zisser joins the team, along with senior Spencer Oliver.

Monticello lost to The Family School 4-2 in the season opener. Coach John Maranzana sized up the first half with the Dawgs. “We played aggressively, but we need to show more control with a final touch and finish. I’m happy with the way we played defensively,” he said.

Owen noted the adjustments necessary for the second half that included fixing gaps in the middle and attacking the Panther sweeper.

Sullivan West played stronger in the second half, but Monticello gained life in the overtime. All in all, both teams showed good conditioning and still had enough in the tank, despite the extended duration of play.

Stafford came up with a huge save in the OT on a ball fired point blank by Armstrong.

Monticello (1-1) benefited from Maranzana’s emphasis to “get right in the mix, get hungry and be in the right place at the right time.”

Owen said, “We had a few lapses of decision in the first half but used much better strategy in the second half that led to more runs. We’ve got lots of new kids in new positions. Without any scrimmages, we had to go right to playing Seward on that large field and with new people in seven positions; we have a lot of work to do.”

Owen had immeasurable praise for Grishaber’s efforts. He recorded 12 saves. Sullivan West fired 23 shots on goal, but had only three corner kicks. Monticello had 12 shots on goal and had five corner kicks.

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