By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Zach Epstein and his senior class have seen a bit of everything in their first three years with the Montgomery High School boys soccer team.
They’d like to add the one missing thing — a championship — in their final season. Any title this season would come three years after a winless freshman year.
“We only had one way to go, up, and we skyrocketed,” Epstein said. “We’re a part of trying to achieve more than we did last year, and I think we can do it.”
For three consecutive seasons, the Cougars have improved upon the previous year. They went from winless, to winning 11 games in 2013 to putting together a 13-5-1 season that included top seeds for the Somerset County Tournament and Central Jersey Group IV tournaments. The Cougars would love to see that trend of improvement continue.
“Obviously, it’s going to be tough,” Epstein said. “We expect to win championships. That’s my goal. That’s our goal.”
Epstein is one of four seniors that played on that winless team three years ago. Each year, their roles have increased and last year Epstein was selected his team’s Defensive Player of the Year. He returns to anchor the defense.
“I think one of our strengths this year will be our experience,” said MHS head coach Rickey Steeb. “We have a number of guys coming back who are three- and four-year varsity starters. Zach, he’s been a four-year varsity player. He’s starting center back. He’s the leader of our defense. He’s a captain.”
The Cougars will be banking on their experience as they head into the regular season. They open with Franklin next Thursday as they head into what will be a historic season. They are looking to complete the climb to the top.
“Three years ago, we didn’t win a game,” Steeb said. “Four seniors played on that team. They’ve experienced what it’s like to really struggle as a team. They’ve experienced what it’s like to have one of the biggest turnarounds following a season like that. Last year, we improved from the year before and I feel that we didn’t accomplish our big goal yet. Sometimes you have to fail before you ultimately achieve the goal you want.”
There is a drive in the senior class that they hope will filter down to the younger grades. Epstein sees a focus in the team that should help.
“We have the experience to go all the way,” he said. “This year, with the juniors and seniors coming back, I think we’re ready to take the next step.
“Guys who have been in those big games that we came up short in now know what we have to do to close out those games. It’s the small things that can make a difference. With that combination of experience and younger guys that want to get it done, I think we can go far this year.”
The Cougars have spent the preseason plugging in the holes left by graduation. Among the players who graduated were leading scorer Joe Morrissey and third-leading scorer Jack Rodgers. Together, the two accounted for 19 goals and 13 assists, more goals than MHS’ opponents scored all of last year. Rodgers and Brandon Sabinsky, who’s now at Seton Hall, were cogs in the midfield while Morrissey played up top.
“The guys have been working extremely hard,” Steeb said. “Preseason has been going pretty well. We’ve already had two scrimmages, Scotch Plains and Princeton, and (Monday was) Somerville. With the two scrimmages, both Scotch Plains and Princeton are very good teams so that helped.”
MHS is confident it has the offensive capabilities, and it can rely on a strong defense in the back with the likes of Epstein, goalie Matt Cabrera and defender Conner Yurcisin returning. They can make things tough on opponents.
“I think we’re looking really good,” Epstein said. “We’re improving every practice and game. Matt’s been very strong for us. We’ve been working on positioning and we’ll have four guys in the back that will be very strong.”
Epstein is intent on being a strong leader in the back. His play spoke volumes last year, and he is looking to play in college next year. He is focused on making this his best year for MHS yet.
“I need to bring it every game,” Epstein said. “I need to bring my best game for my teammates. If I don’t play my best, I’m letting my teammates down. I need to play my best and motivate my teammates and keep my back line solid and lead those guys. If I do my job and I trust my teammates to do the same, that will take us far.”
Epstein has played defense throughout his career. He is most comfortable there, but for the Cougars he played outside midfielder as a freshman and even moved to striker as a sophomore when they needed more scoring. He returned to defense last year and helped MHS move back toward the top of the conference.
“People said we were never a No. 1 seed in county tournament and in state tournament,” Steeb said. “Those were some goals of ours. Ultimately we want to win a championship. We came really close last year. With the guys we have coming back and some young talent in the program, hopefully that’ll get us to our ultimate goal. Obviously you have to stay healthy.”
Epstein’s expectations have grown with each season just like the team. This year, they are higher than ever.
“Freshman year, you’re just on the field, and now that I’m a senior, we want to win,” Epstein said. “We want to win everything. We expect more from ourselves. We’ve improved our record every year. We have high expectations.”
Those ambitions are motivating them in the preseason, and when they open the season it will give them a chance to chase their goals. Epstein is confident that the ingredients are there for a special season.
“The experiences of being in those close games and coming up short, and we have guys that really want it,” he said. “The new guys bought in. They really want to win something.”
