MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Allentown’s Shannon Bailey makes a tough catch during the Redbirds’ game against Notre Dame on May 11 in Allentown. The Millstone Stinger U9 boys soccer team continues to roll through the spring season, compiling a 7-1 record thus far with some stellar play on both ends of the field.
On April 30, the Stingers took their winning streak on the road against the Holmdel Wizards, and with a 3-0 victory, they retained their first-place position within the MOSA, National 1 division.
Both teams came out hard looking for an early edge. Holmdel maximized their home-field advantage by upping their front-end pressure and placing the Stinger defense into overdrive. The Stinger “Wall” kept the Holmdel wizardry at bay with their tight, enveloping play.
With Holmdel laying down a relentless offensive wave of close shots taken within the 18, Millstone banded together to collapse their front-end game. Defensive backs Jordan Herzog, Justin Paglia, David Cifelli and Thomas Malik engaged within their infamous zonal defensive play to deny the Wizards from casting any of their scoring magic. Keepers Jack Giglia and Nick Pritchard weren’t afraid to venture outside the cage to close in on any charging strikers; their slide tackles and body dives shut down the talented Wizards’ shooting game.
The Holmdel Wizards stepped up equally impressive with their defensive game by making the Stingers earn their hard-fought points. The first goal came when a hard cross by striker Nick Sample was fed to midfielder Bryan Walkley for an upper 90 shot to the top of the net. The next goal came when fellow midfielder Connor Bednarz chipped the ball up field into Walkley’s sightline, who detonated a Stinger missile at 20 yards out.
The third and final goal came in the second half, when forward Nick Pritchard followed up on a dropped ball to finish with a cannon kick to the back of the gate. Rotating the front-end talent for the Stingers were power forwards Kevin Towle, Paul Haines, and Conor Murphy, along with midfielder Zach Reutsch, while Nick Pritchard and Jack Giglia played as forwards when they weren’t on keeper duty.
At this point in the season the Stingers’ offensive talents with ballhandling, passing and perimeter shooting were continuing to improve with every game, and their ability follow through on their attack and finish was starting to take them to the next level.
The next Sunday (May 7) brought the Hazlet Mini Metros to Stinger stadium. As power forward Jack Giglia trekked up the right side of the field, he crossed a shot to striker Nick Sample for the first goal of the game. Midfielder Zach Reutsch narrowly missed scoring a goal when he knocked an upper ninety from the 18, although an offsides call voided the play. The second half brought kinetic play for both teams with more points on the board. The Mini Metros skipped a shot low and on the outside for their first goal of the game, before the Stingers retaliated with three consecutive goals within the next 10 minutes. Power forward Conor Murphy punctuated Hazlet’s defensive zone with a cross to midfielder Bryan Walkey, who capped one in beyond the 18. Forward Nick Pritchard engaged within hard contact for offensive leverage, with midfielder Bryan Walkley following up to make good on the assist. The final goal came when midfielder Connor Bednarz chipped the ball up field to relay a pass to striker Nick Sample, who pocketed a shot high and tight to make it 4-1, Millstone. Forwards Kevin Towle and Paul Haines executed some fast breaks and nifty ball play downfield on Hazlet’s formidable defense.
The Stinger defense was successful in keeping the Hazlet forwards on the flanks, and ambushing any and all middle play. Speed and strength were the necessary tools in keeping the Mini Metros to only one goal. Their dense, folding “Wall” kept Hazlet on the outside, with goal-keeping duties proving to be the anchor. Defensive backs David Cifelli, Thomas Malik, Justin Paglia, and Jordan Herzog were the key players, with Nick Pritchard and Jack Giglia doing an equally outstanding job at the net.
The Stingers took their game on the road Mother’s Day weekend as they faced the Middletown Freedom. As the captains of last weekend’s game, Jack Giglia and Thomas Malik headed out to the center of the field for the coin toss and ground rules, and the game was under way. Both teams battled for the ball looking to take control of the game, but it was not long before the Stingers’ offense would strike. Nick Sample applied the pressure with his footwork and a breakaway up the side to a beautiful cross pass to Bryan Walkley, who then rifled one in off the goalie, and with an excellent follow-up, Giglia tapped it in for the goal, giving the stingers a 1-0 lead at the half. As the second half started, coach Walkley continued to keep his offensive substitutions fresh, using Kevin Towle, Conor Murphy and Paul Haines to his advantage. “The Wall,” the defensive unit of the Stingers, continued to dominate again as they did in the first half, with Jordan Herzog, Justin Paglia, David Cifelli and Thomas Malik shutting down the Middletown Freedom offense and limiting them to a couple of slow rollers, giving goalie Nick Pritchard no competition at all. With only minutes left in the game, Connor Bednarz brought the ball up and passed to the outside to Paul Haines, who battled to keep possession of the ball with excellent body pressure and foot work, then passing to Bryan Walkley, who fired it in from the 18, giving the Stingers their second and final goal and a 2-0 win over Middletown Freedom.
This win extended their record to 7-1 in the MOSA Premier National 1 Division and strengthened their hold on their first-place position.
The Stingers are on the road again next week as they take on the Old Bridge Dragons.