Experienced Lancers ready for a run at B North title
St. John Vianney soccer team has the look
of a contender
FARRAH MAFFAI St. John Vianney’s Jimmy Seery tries to get the ball away from Raritan’s Dave Druckerman during a recent game at Raritan.
Last season, the St. John Vianney girls soccer team was one of the surprise stories of the year, earning the school’s first-ever state soccer championship, besting the nation’s top team (a seemingly invincible Immaculate Heart Academy) along the way.
This year, the Lady Lancers appear poised once again to make a run at a title as the top-ranked girls soccer team in the Shore Conference.
But soccer excellence appears to be contagious at the Holmdel school, as another group of players are beginning to put together a solid season, with visions of postseason play becoming clearer with each passing week.
A hard-working group of seniors has helped the St. John Vianney High School boys soccer team get off to a 4-2 start, and the players and their coach are beginning to get excited about their potential.
The Lancers have been known in recent years as a tough defensive team, but goals were hard to come by.
This season, St. John’s is scoring a bit more, and the defense (with the exception of a couple of late goals in games the Lancers already had in hand) has again done the job.
Co-captain Zak Cook, with six goals and two assists, leads the offense, while the other co-captain, and versatile stopper Dan DiMino, who moves around depending on the situation, anchors the defense. The two serve as bookends for the other five seniors, according to coach Dodd Terry.
Cook has been particularly impressive in the early-going, as he notched a career-high four goals in a win over Rumson, and then tallied two more in a win over Raritan last Wednesday. If Cook can continue to provide the spark on offense, the Lancers could be a dangerous team as the year progresses.
"We have a talented group of seniors, but more important, is the leadership they have all provided," coach Terry said. "They’ve helped make this a close-knit, hard-working team."
The other seniors Dodd referred to are forward John-Michael Hauser, who has scored three times, midfielders Chris Howard and Chris Whalen, fullback Anthony Cino and goaltender Justin McCue.
While the seniors have been outstanding, the Lancers have received contributions from throughout the lineup. Juniors Ryan Tetro and Kevin Finnell are solid in the middle and Ken Frankenbush is a dependable defender.
Sophomores Chris Quinn, Joe Iturrino, and sweeper Brendan Slawson all see plenty of time on the back line.
Juniors Jimmy Seery, Scott Lewis, Mike Hansen, Joe Pandozzi and Joe Gerrity provide depth in the middle and up front. Lewis has also been pressed into service as a reserve goalie, and is likely to play there this week as McCue is nursing an injury.
Joe Shalhoub, a junior goalie, has yet to play this year after suffering a broken thumb prior to the season. He is close to returning, Terry said.
The Lancers meanwhile, have looked strong in downing Matawan, 1-0; Rumson-Fair Haven, 5-3; and Raritan, 4-2. The only losses were a 3-1 decision against Neptune, and a hard-fought 1-0 loss against Ocean on Friday.
The loss to Ocean was an important one, in the sense that the Spartans are the favorite to walk away with the Shore Conference’s Class B South title this year. Ocean is currently ranked second in the Shore behind only CBA, and will be a tough team to top as the season progresses.
The Lancers will get another shot at Ocean on Oct. 9, but will be looking to get on a roll before then, and hope that Ocean gets knocked off by another division rival along the way.
St. John’s beat Long Branch 1-0 on Monday and will play host to rival Red Bank Catholic on Saturday.
The coach is hoping that the team continues to get solid play on both sides of the field, and is looking for many of his younger players to get better with each game.
"The guys are playing pretty well right now," Terry said. "They’re moving the ball up the field quickly and we’re getting a lot of scoring opportunities. That’s been a big plus and it’s taken some of the pressure off our defense."
The Lancers entered Monday’s play in third place in Class B North behind Ocean (2-0) and an improved Red Bank squad (2-1). Following the RBC game on Saturday, the Lancers will face off with the Bucs in Holmdel in what could be an important division game.
With an experienced crew of guys playing well thus far, the Lancers could be ready to make some noise in the Shore, and earn a spot for themselves in the state playoffs where, as any coach will tell you, anything can happen.
The St. John Vianney girls soccer team has been making headlines for a few years now. Perhaps the boys team will take its turn in the spotlight this year as well.