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Jon Gerardi on soccer: Close games will be beneficial for Williamsport down the road

By Jon Gerardi 13 min read

Not a lot can be determined from a lopsided victory. But the tight, one-goal games where there's not much room for error? That's where you learn a lot about yourself and your team.

How do the players handle the pressure? Do they play calm or frantic?

It's what helps a team grow though as a season wears on and once playoffs roll around, it's beyond beneficial to have experienced those games. So count Williamsport as glad that they've won three straight games by a goal recently and are playing well in those close games.

"Down the road, it should hopefully keep us calmer because we're used to playing in those situations. I don't like them, but you know, you got to find ways to win games throughout the regular season because it’s a grind," Williamsport coach Brett Hofstrom said. "We're in a grind right now, we've been in a grind the past two weeks and this week's a grind. Hopefully after this week we can get a little bit more rest and get some legs back under us."

Williamsport suffered a tough 6-0 loss to State College in early September but since that, have rattled off three straight one-goal wins. The Millionaires traveled to Mill Hall and beat Central Mountain thanks to a goal by Connor Hofstrom. Two days later, it was a 2-1 win over Crestwood in which Hofstrom and Isaac Balza both put in goals to ensure the victory.

And last Tuesday, it was Balza stepping up and burying two shots to give the Millionaires a 2-1 win over Shikellamy. The Braves scored with just over 17 minutes remaining in the second half, but Williamsport never allowed that game-tying goal to slip by.

That's a credit to the Millionaires having possession, playing superb defensive soccer and goalie Max Fink not letting anything slip past him late.

"He's been great this year. He's coming up big," Hofstrom said of Fink in goal. "He's made some big saves in our first couple games to keep us in games and help us win. His senior leadership back there helps organize the D, so it's great that he's back there."

The Millionaires had a rough start to the year in terms of scheduling with six of their first games being road trips. Williamsport's first four games -- against Reading, Hazleton, State College and Central Mountain -- were all road trips before back-to-back home games against Crestwood and Shikellamy. That home stint is followed by back-to-back road trips to Milton and Altoona, another tough two games.

But that's life in high school soccer, and Hofstrom isn't stressing it. All schools have a bunch of road trips clustered together, and he knows the Millionaires are prepared for each one.

"It is a grind because you'd like to be home and get some extra sleep and stuff like that," Hofstrom said. "But it's like any other team, they may have games where they have three or four away games in a row and you just gotta battle."

And the Millionaires have continued to battle so far this year with every opponent they've faced.

A NEW ALL-TIME LEADER

Muncy has had its fair share of talented scorers recently.

First, there was Carley DeVore who ended her four-year career with Muncy at a 69-goal scorer to set the school's all-time record when she last played in 2013. A few years later, Aleaha Bigelow entered the varsity program in 2016 and by her senior year, she became the new all-time leader with 76 goals.

A year after Bigelow graduated, Emilie Nagel started her high school career and wound up tying Bigelow with 76 goals to share the all-time mark.

Last Tuesday against CMVT, there was a new scoring queen in Muncy and her name is Ava Eyer.

Eyer recorded two goals against CMVT in a 13-0 rout to record 77 for her career, moving past both Bigelow and Nagel and will no doubt have quite a few more goals to her career mark by the time this season wraps up and she finishes her career.

While that accomplishment is significant and great for Eyer, she was quick to share the spotlight with others.

"It feels great, but honestly, it's not really about me. I've been blessed with some amazing teammates who have helped me obtain so many of my goals over the past few years," Eyer said. "I wouldn't have been able to set a new record without them or my coaches, who have taught me pretty much everything I know about soccer. More than anything, I'm just incredibly grateful that God gave me the opportunity to play a sport that I love with a healthy, working body."

Eyer entered the season with 70 goals and was just six away from tying the record and knew she was within striking distance of getting it, barring a major injury or setback. But she didn't put too much attention to it and didn't want to jinx herself.

"It was a goal that I wanted to keep in the back of my mind. I tried not to think about it too much because I didn't want to jinx it and get injured before I had the chance to break the record," Eyer said. "My previous teammate, Emilie Nagel, held that record so it was definitely bittersweet breaking it because I know how hard she worked to get it. I'm proud to have broken that record, but I am even more proud to follow in the footsteps of someone who set such a high standard for our team."

Coach Jason Gresh was glad to see her reach the milestone as well.

"I am extremely proud of Ava. She is a great athlete and an even better teammate and person," Gresh said. "She has put the work in and has certainly paid the price, playing through many injuries. As a younger player, she had the opportunity to play with some great scorers and leaders -- Emilie Nagel, Addi Eyer, Ella Nagel, etc. -- and took the opportunity to learn from them. Just like each of them, she has left a legacy and wants nothing more than for the next generation to continue and surpass it."

CLICKING AS A TEAM

In any sport, losing can quickly become contagious and snowball into a few tough losses in a row. That's where a tough mentality is needed to stop those losses from piling up.

That's precisely what Montoursville has done. The Warriors opened the year 0-2-1 and didn't have the start they had hoped for.

But since then? It's been a lot of winning. Montoursville shook off that rough start and have gone 4-0-1 since with wins against defending District 4 Class A champion Southern Columbia (2-1), Jersey Shore (1-0), Bloomsburg (5-0) and Danville (5-1) and tied a talented Wellsboro squad 2-2 in that span.

"I think aside from the first half of the first game, our guys have been playing well. It's just been a lack of execution in small parts of games. I give credit to the boys for working hard at practice, for making sure they bought into the process. And just beating the drum, right?" Montoursville coach Adam Mertes said. "Beating the drum and not trying to change course on anything that we were doing right and just making sure they had the confidence. Our schedule was the seventh toughest in the district to open the season, so I think we're doing a lot of right things. Just small moments of the game we were losing. So just cleaning up the mental edge. Overall I'm really proud of the way they've been playing since the second game."

Montoursville has played well not just from an offensive perspective in those games, but defensively as well to win close ones and not let small mistakes result in momentum shifting goals.

"Definitely our intensity (has been key)," Montoursville's CJ Lucas said. "We're starting to play with each other a bit more, we have some new faces and new starters. The more chemistry of building together, it's a lot easier to play with one another."

And the Warriors are able to spread the ball around offensively, helping the team put up goals. That includes CJ Lucas, Liam Lucas, Levi Nolan, Lukas Easton and others.

"It's so nice because they can't just focus on one player," CJ Lucas said. "They have to get all of us. They're going to have a much harder time."

Jon Gerardi is the sports editor at the Sun-Gazette and covers high school soccer. He can be reached by email at jgerardi@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter/X at @JonGerardi.

BOYS SOCCER

1. Lewisburg (7-1): The Green Dragons posted their second straight shutout on Monday, blanking Altoona at home, 3-0, as three players scored. It came just a few days after a 1-0 win on the road against Selinsgrove. Lewisburg has allowed just one goal in its last four games, the only one coming to rival Midd-West in a 3-1 win. Lewisburg year in and year out has tough defensive teams, and this year is no different.

2. Williamsport (7-1): The Millionaires picked up their fifth consecutive win on Saturday, beating Altoona on the road, 1-0. It was yet another close game for Brett Hofstrom's Millionaires, but they keep playing well in close games no matter who the opponent is. Williamsport beat Shikellamy, 2-1, last week and Crestwood, 2-1 by the same score. There also was a 3-1 win vs. Milton in that stretch. The Millionaires are playing well in all facets of the game.

3. Warrior Run (7-1): The Defenders are putting up a lot of goals and playing well. After a 6-0 setback vs. Central Columbia, the Defenders blanked South Williamsport (6-0) and Mifflinburg (7-0) before beating a good Loyalsock team, 4-1. Gideon Kennel is having a solid senior year so far with 11 goals and five assists while Ryna Kemock has scored seven goals with two assists.

4. Loyalsock (5-3): The Lancers went 2-1 this past week, beating a talented Southern Columbia team, 5-1, and blanking South Williamsport, 5-0, with a tough 4-1 loss to Warrior Run sandwiched between those wins. The win vs. the Mounties came a few days after the loss to Warrior Run, showing that the Lancers easily forgot about the loss and focused on the next opponent and got the job done. Loyalsock has a tough three-game stretch coming up against Midd-West, Hughesville and rival Montoursville.

T-5. Montoursville (4-2-2): Speaking of Montoursville, the Warriors moved to 4-2-2 with Monday's 5-1 win against Danville in which CJ Lucas put up a hat trick. Lucas is a talented scorer and keeps coming up big. He scored twice against Bloomsburg in a 5-0 rout and then had a hat trick over Danville. He's the team's leading scorer with 10 goals and four assists as well.

T-5. Wellsboro (7-1-2): The Green Hornets picked up win No. 7 by beating Jersey Shore on the road, 2-0. That was followed Monday with a scoreless draw against NTL foe Williamson on the road. The Green Hornets keep playing tough and haven't dropped a game since a 3-1 road loss to Towanda on Sept. 3.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK -- Carson Harris, South Williamsport and CJ Lucas, Montoursville

Harris single-handedly gave the Mounties an exciting 2-1 win under the lights at Montgomery's football field this past week against rival Montgomery in a Mid-Penn game. And, to make it even more exciting, Harris scored both goals with penalty kicks, drilling both shots in high-pressure situations. Lucas meanwhile scored twice in a 5-0 win against Bloomsburg at home on a humid night and then a few days later, delivered again by recording a hat trick in a 4-1 win against Danville to move the Warriors to 4-2-2.

GIRLS SOCCER

1. Warrior Run (7-1): The Defenders showed a lot of grit in a back-and-forth 5-4 win on Saturday against Line Mountain in a matchup of two tough Class A teams. Line Mountain led 2-0 early but the Defenders kept battling and would take a 3-2 lead before going ahead 4-3 and staying up for good. Scarlett Dunkleberger came up clutch with a hat trick in that game as the back line did well late preventing a game-tying goal.

2. Hughesville (5-2): Hughesville suffered a tough 2-0 setback against Bloomsburg on the road before responding and beating District 4 Class A finalist Southern Columbia at home in a close game, 2-1. It was the fourth straight Hughesville game that's been within two goals, showing the Spartans can battle and fight. Hughesville has a tough game looming with Central Columbia on the road.

3. Williamsport (3-1-2): Williamsport's Valerie Beiter played well in gaol against Altoona in Saturday's road game, coming up with a few saves to keep it scoreless and preserve a tie. It's the second consecutive tie for the Millionaires after battling Jersey Shore on the road, 1-1. The Millionaires' back line may not get the spotlight, but they're playing well in those games keeping it close and not giving up a late go-ahead goal.

4. Montgomery (4-3-1): It's. been an up-and-down three-game stretch for the Red Raiders. After a hard-fought 1-1 tie over rival Montgomery, Montgomery beat Sullivan County on the road, 4-1, before dropping a 4-1 game against Millville. The Red Raiders' offense has been performing well as six players have at least two goals in Aubrey Staggert (five goals, five assists), Addisyn Grimm (five goals, three assists), Miranda Staggery (four goals, one assist), Brooke Knoebel (four goals, one assist), Aleaha Grimm (three goals, four assists) and Ryleeanne Rupert (two goals).

5. Wellsboro (4-1-1): The Green Hornets have put together some close wins lately and are playing well in tight games. The Green Hornets beat North Penn-Mansfield and Muncy, 1-0, and tied Troy on the road, 1-1. Sophomore Hailey Smith has emerged as a solid scoring threat through six games as she has a team-high eight goals with an assist.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Scarlett Dunkleberger, Warrior Run

Dunkleberger was a key piece of Warrior Run's last two wins. The Defender scored three goals in a back-and-forth 5-4 win against Line Mountain, including the fifth and fianl goal, and also then scored four goals in a 6-1 win over Danville.

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