Manville boys win first soccer game

Offense finally breaks out vs. Vo-Tech

By: John Beisser
   
   Turn to a handy Webster’s Dictionary and one of the lines used to describe the word faith is a "firm belief in something for which there is no proof."
   For 16 straight games, members of the Manville High boys’ soccer team laced up their cleats and took to the field, buoyed by the belief that in a couple of short hours, they would walk off the field victorious. For 16 straight games, Manville walked off the field without a win. Some defeats were close, such as the 1-0 loss at Princeton Day in the season opener back on Sept. 8. Others were more one-sided, like the 5-0 loss the following day against Bernards.
   Through it all, the Mustangs persevered, never wavering in their approach or in their preparation. Manville played some pretty good stretches of defense throughout the season, a good enough brand to have won several games. But that key goal that would turn the tide just never seemed to come.
   And then, on Oct. 23, on a damp, cold afternoon, Manville took the field vs. Somerset Vo-Tech, a team that had won four games and was seeded higher than the Mustangs in the Somerset County Tournament. For one glorious afternoon, it all came together for Manville. The cuts were sharp, the passes crisp, the shots accurate. And the trusty defense was therefrom start to finish, thanks in measure to junior goalies Matthew Zangara and Andrew Saultz.
   Seniors Roland Yakobchuk and Edyn Pineda created lifetime memories for themselves, combining for five goals, three off the foot of Yakobchuk and two coming from Pineda. Junior Alexander Malliard and sophomore David Brozyna each added a goal and when the game clock ticked off its final tally, the scoreboard read Home 7, Visitor 0.
   "They were excited, running around he field acting like little kids," MHS first-year head coach Mike Shambach said. "It was fun to see them enjoy the win so much."
   And then Shambach used the F word to describe how the team had summoned the will to pull off the win.
   "It just showed how much faith they had, that they could do this," Shambach said. "They played with such confidence and when you have confidence, you seem to get bounces."
   The game vs. Somerset Vo-Tech was supposed to be played on Sept. 29 but was postponed due to rain and re-scheduled for Oct. 23.
   "They weren’t the best team we’ve played this year by a long shot but this is the best team Vo-Tech has had in a few years and they had won some games," Shambach added. "Who knows what might have happened with our season had we played them earlier in the season?"
   The feel good karma from the victory over Somerset Vo-Tech carried over to the following afternoon when the Mustangs boarded the bus for the long trip to Hackettstown, a formidable foe who was boasting an 8-6-1 record. Flushed with the emotion from the prior afternoon and galvanized with confidence, Manville put together its best effort of the entire season.
   Matching Hackettstown stride for stride, the teams battled on even terms throughout. Zangara, playing the whole game in goal, came up with what the Manville coaches calculated as no less than 20 saves. When the dust settled, the final score was 0-0.
   "We had some five or six really good chances to score and our defense played well," Shambach said. "Hackettstown is not quite as good as last year when they only lost one game but they are a very good team, a team that qualified for the state tournament. The guys were very happy after the game. Even though it was a tie, it felt like a win."
   Manville went on to drop its season finale, 3-0 vs. North Warren on Oct. 26 in game that was tied 0-0 at halftime. The loss did not erase the feeling of that magical 48 hours earlier in the week when Manville’s faith was rewarded with a major victory and a hard-earned tie.
   For the seniors, it made the sweat and sacrifice all worth it and for the underclassmen, it allows them to point towards 2007 with a degree of pride and optimism.