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Jon Gerardi on soccer: Montoursville girls have played well after a bumpy start

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The season began in a rough way for Montoursville's girls soccer team. After five games to open this season, Montoursville saw itself sitting at 1-3-1. In that start, the Warriors lost to District 4 Class A runner-up Southern Columbia (1-0), District 4 Class AA champion Central Columbia (4-0) and tied District 4 Class AAA runner-up Milton (1-1).

It was a brutal stretch to open the year, but never once did the players or coaching staff worry. The Warriors know they have the talent and skillset to play well and after that bumpy start, it's been like the flipping of a switch in terms of playing better.

Since losing on Sept. 16 at Lewisburg, 3-1, the Warriors have rattled off five consecutive victories and are 6-3-1.

So, what's been working for Montoursville?

"Really just our team coming together and realizing we need to step it up if we want to make it to playoffs," Montoursville standout Khaya Bennett said. We decided that we're going to all play together and that really helped us."

"It's really just a matter for us, really just using our strengths as opposed to dwelling on the defensive structure and what the other team is going to do," Montoursville coach Vic Gorini said. "Going out and dictating play ourselves instead of worrying what other team brings to table that we need to possess, that we need to move the ball."

The Warriors have younger players who have stepped up as well, something Gorini's glad to see. That included against rival Loyalsock in a 1-0 win last week where the Warriors started freshmen Kenzie Lundy and Elliana Eck.

"Some of our younger kids like Kinsley Schon on the outside, she's doing a great job stretching the field for us and Khaya up top can hold the ball and take it down field," Gorini said. "We shuffled some people around and that's been helpful. So it's really just a work in progress."

In that five-game winning streak, the Warriors have beaten South Williamsport, Mount Carmel, Central Mountain, Hughesville and Loyalsock. The games against Central Mountain and Hughesville were on the road and in those five games, Montoursville has outscored its opponents 18-3 with three shutout victories, including blanking a good Hughesville team and a good Loyalsock team.

"Our defense has been doing really well. We have a freshman centerback and she's been really stepping up, so it's really good for us," Bennett said. "They've been doing really well back there, especially our keeper."

Everyone's playing well for the Warriors from the forwards and midfielders to the back line and keeper Abby Strassner. And when you wrap that all together, it translates to a lot of success for Montoursville, notably in the win column.

350 WINS AND COUNTING

It takes a lot of dedication and passion to be a soccer coach for decades. And being able to get the most out of your players and teams results in wins, titles and many other accolades.

And for South Williamsport coach Marc Lovecchio, he's reached a huge milestone: 350 career victories.

"Three-hundred and fifty wins reminds me of how long I've been coaching. And that reminds me of all the wonderful individuals I've had the opportunity to coach," Lovecchio said. "There have been so many great memories that I have. All due to the young men and women who have impacted my life in so many positive ways."

The Mountie coach reached that milestone this past week, showcasing the longevity of his career. He's the only active soccer coach in District 4, boys or girls, with more than 350 career wins. Lewisburg boys coach Ben Kettlewell had 264 wins entering this year between his time as co-coach with Skip Kratzer from 2013-18 before taking the program over in 2019.

And Danville boys coach Brian Dressler entered this year with 195 career victories as he closed in on 200. In addition to being a 350-win coach, Lovecchio earned more than 100 of those with South Williamsport over the number of years with the Mounties.

BROTHERLY LOVE

Ever since Montgomery's boys soccer team got its program back in 2020, there has been a constant presence when on the pitch. Every year since, there's been at least one Sherman brother competing.

Early on, it was older brother Owen who was playing well and helping guide the Red Raiders. In Owen's final year in 2023, Dylan Sherman was a freshman and the siblings got to play with one another.

Now this year, Dylan is playing with his little brother Weston.

It's another year of brotherly love for the Shermans and father and coach Mike Sherman.

"They helped us get back on track. Owen came first and got to play his senior year with Dylan being a freshman, and now Dylan gets to play his senior year with Weston being a freshman. So they were spaced out decent enough they could kind of help with each other," coach Sherman said.

Owen will call Weston from college and give him pointers and advice when it comes to playing high school soccer. They all still talk with one another and want to see each other succeed.

Three years ago, Owen became the second all-time scorer in program history with XX goals. In late September, Dylan moved past Owen as the No. 2 all-time scorer. Time will tell where Weston ends up on the scoring list.

"Without the three of them? You're figuring that's over 130 of our goals the past couple of years. So they did have a lot of success," coach Sherman said. "But to be honest with you, it's what they do in the offseason. They're the only ones on my team that generally play travel ball. They play for North Union United, they play for STN, they go on the big tournament schedule."

That travel ball and club schedule has helped develop them into the standout players they've become.

"It's been a lot of fun working with the boys. It was enjoyable for me seeing my boys grow up and go through the program and have success," coach Sherman said. "That means a lot and that's what honestly has kept me around to make sure they have an opportunity to play with their friends and stuff. It's been a fun ride so far."

STEPPING UP IN GOAL

Before the season started, Loyalsock coach Steve Ertel was unsure who would be replacing Connor Lang in goal this fall. It's never easy replacing a keeper, so finding a replacement for a talented one is tough.

But right before the preseason started, Kason Burrows came out to play soccer and just like that, Ertel found his keeper.

"It's always tough. It's the most difficult position on the field. We have a freshman this year in Kason Burrows who I met just before the preseason. Thankfully he came out. Prior to Kason I was like 'who's gonna be our goalie?' He's doing a nice job," Ertel said. "Ed Dadzie is our goalie coach and has really developed Kason into a nice player."

Burrows has recorded 30 saves this year and is averaging 3.4 per game as he's 5-2 when in goal.

"It's astronomical (growth)," Ertel said of Burrows from the season's start to now. "You're learning so much technically and you have milliseconds to make the right decision and the kid does it pretty consistently. Does he make mistakes? Sure, but the majority of those shots are saved. So great growth (from him)."

PANIC? NOT AT ALL

Loyalsock suffered a tough loss last week to rival Montoursville at home, 2-0. And that loss dropped Loyalsock to 5-6, the third loss in a row, and fourth in its past five games to that point. That's far from ideal, but Loyalsock has been in that situation before.

The players know they have plenty of games remaining to make a push for the postseason, just as they did a year prior.

"We as a coaching staff are so fortunate to have great kids that are intelligent. We don't have to coach the game of soccer. They understand the game. They know where to be, when to be there. Sometimes they ask questions, but that's very positive," Ertel said. "We've been in this position before. September of last year we were 4-9 and we won six straight, so I have confidence in the character and culture of Loyalsock. The boys will decide when they want to kick it on and go."

Loyalsock beat Shamokin, 2-0, on Saturday to get back to .500 as the Lancers are in the midst of five consecutive road games before heading back home for an Oct. 15 game vs. Shikellamy.

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.

JON GERARDI’S TOP 5 RANKINGS

BOYS SOCCER

1. Lewisburg (11-1): Lewisburg has posted six consecutive shutouts by blanking Selinsgrove (1-0), Altoona (3-0), Central Mountain (4-0), Milton (5-0), Danville (14-0) and Williamsport (2-0). That string of shutouts also means that Gabe Pawling has reached 51 shutouts for his career, putting him in rare company for that milestone. He's one of three Dragon keepers to record 50 or more shutouts, joining former greats Logan Cho (64) and Christian Gallagher (51). He needs just more to become the Dragons' second all-time shutouts leader.

2. Warrior Run (12-1): The Defenders' offense has been surging of late. Three of Warrior Run's last four games saw the Defenders score seven or more goals. Impressive as well doing so against Southern Columbia, last year's District 4 Class A champions. Warrior Run's offense will be tested with matchups against Montoursville, Midd-West and Lewisburg in its next three games.

3. Montoursville (6-4-2): Speaking of Montoursville, the Warriors shook off a tough 4-0 loss at undefeated Central Columbia with back-to-back wins, beating both Mifflinburg (3-0) and rival Loyalsock (2-0) via shutout. The Warriors have been playing well defensively since that loss as Mason Fry keeps coming up big in goal and the back line is limiting opposing forwards.

4. Wellsboro (12-1-2): Since tying Williamson in a scoreless draw in late September, Wellsboro has rattled off four straight wins against NTL foes by beating Northeast Bradford (3-0), Wyalusing (1-0), Troy (13-0) and Towanda (5-1). The remainder of Wellsboro's schedule features NTL opponents, including a matchup on the road at Athens on Oct. 13 in what should be a good matchup among two of the top teams in the NTL.

5. Central Mountain (5-5-2): The Wildcats are trying to get back to the winning side of things. After a 3-0 loss in Mill Hall to a very good Warrior Run team, the Wildcats blanked Shikellamy on the road, 4-0, before tying State College (9-3-3) in a 1-1 contest. The Wildcats want to make another District 6 playoff push and have some tough games on the horizon, including against Loyalsock, Altoona and Midd-West.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

CJ Lucas, Montoursville

The Warrior helped Montoursville pick up a win and preserve a tie this past week. Lucas dished out an assist to Riccardo Montini Bellosio in a 2-0 win against rival Loyalsock. A few days later, he had both goals in a 2-2 tie against Millville, scoring his second with less than five minutes to play to tie it up.

GIRLS SOCCER

t-1. Warrior Run (9-4): The Defenders have lost two straight games, but they came against two talented squads. First, Warrior Run dropped a 4-0 game to defending District 4 Class A runner-up Southern Columbia. Two days later, they ran into the buzzsaw that is defending District 4 Class AA champion Central Columbia, 5-1. That's a rough two-game stretch for any team in the district to go against, and hard to bump a team from the top spot with losses to those squads.

t-1. Montoursville (6-3-1): The Warriors have won five straight games and are clicking at a great time of the year. In those five wins as well, Montoursville has blanked three opponents as Abby Strassner continues to show her talents in keeping a blank sheet. Montoursville has some tests coming up, such as a road game at Warrior Run on Tuesday, a road game at Selinsgrove later this month, and a home date with Williamsport. Tuesday's game didn't end in time for this column's rankings.

3. Hughesville (7-5-1): Hughesville came up shy at home on Saturday against Crestwood, but the Comets are a talented team, having won nine games and suffering just one loss. Kalia Hack did well in goal keeping it within reason and not letting Crestwood put the game out of reach as she had 16 saves. Hack has become a talented keeper and makes numerous saves each game. Hughesville tied a talented Williamsport team on Monday in a tough battle, 1-1.

4. South Williamsport (5-4-2): The Mounties are starting to gain some confidence after a 0-3-1 stretch in late September. That includes tying a good Montgomery team before rebounding with a dominating performance over Sullivan County. The Mounties have some younger players on the roster, but Marc Lovecchio is a very good coach and is able to get the most out of his players and utilize strengths. No doubt the Mounties want to be pushing for a playoff berth in the coming weeks.

t-5. Wellsboro (7-2-2): The Green Hornets secured a 4-0 road win against Northeast Bradford to inch closer to securing a playoff berth this fall. Wellsboro is hoping to make back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 2015-14. A few more wins will ensure that happens.

t-5. Montgomery (6-5-2): The Red Raiders suffered their first loss in 10 days on Saturday, losing on the road to rival Muncy in a very tight contest, 2-1. The two schools tied earlier this year in a matchup. Despite the loss, the Red Raiders are still above .500, which is where coach Hannah Summerson wants to keep her team and make a third straight playoff berth.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Khaya Bennett, Montoursville and Jadyn Dunlap, Wellsboro

Bennett came up clutch twice last week and delivered when Montoursville needed her to. First she had the game's lone goal in a tough, hard-fought 1-0 win against Hughesville. Then two days later, Bennett delivered again, putting in a great goal against Loyalsock in a 1-0 game on a perfectly-placed shot. Dunlap became the program's all-time saves leader with eight saves in a shutout win against Northeast Bradford on Thursday. The win bumped her past former Green Hornet Kailee Clymer's mark of 536 saves. Dunlap is at 540 and counting.

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