2012 Clinton Warriors Boys Varsity Soccer Game Notes

2012 CSC Division Champions

Schedule

Game Notes

09/06/12 - vs. Cooperstown

Imagine the thrill of never playing varsity soccer in high school until your senior year, then starting as a forward in the opening game.  The other team starts with the ball, but your team takes it from them, and then progresses it up the field. You shoot the ball hoping to test the goalkeeper early, but realize shortly after - as the ball sails through the air in slow motion - that you have just put it in the back of the net.  All of this, happening within the first minute of your high school soccer career, rains down on you in patented “Clinton Soccer glory.”

Clinton Boy’s Soccer opened on the night of September 6, 2012 against an equally-as-eager Cooperstown.  Despite the inevitable doubts, having lost nearly 20 talented Seniors, the new squad of only 18 players went onto the field determined to prove that it would most certainly not ride on the coat-tails of last year’s success.  The astoundingly early first-minute goal by Senior Forward Garrett Drejza provided a quick shock to Cooperstown while invigorating the Clinton players and crowd. 

Both teams demonstrated their prowess as far as controlling the game speed and dynamics throughout the game.  Cooperstown, while set back on their heels very early, responded with 2 goals of their own: one off a quick free-kick; the other off a well-placed shot from around the 18 yard line.

Where the new Clinton squad lacks the experience and overall physique of last year’s team, it makes up for it with heart and perseverance.  Not for one extended period of time were our players convinced they would lose this game: everyone wanted to win.  The equalizer came when Senior Forward Steve Ford beat Cooperstown’s defense and goalkeeper.  He, however, did not score the goal: he lost his footing and slipped.  After going to the ground - and this is where the team’s spirit gets displayed most perfectly - he continued to try to drive the ball into the net, from his hands and knees, with his head.  Fortunately, Senior Midfielder Kyle Coin was there to "seal the deal" before the defense could recover.

So there the team was: tied 2-2.  Solace finally came when sophomore midfielder Gavin Gleasman received a well-placed through-ball, beat two oncoming defenders, and tucked the ball away into the back of the net with a beautiful shot past the goalkeeper.  Gleasman promptly led the team over to the nearest corner flag to execute what was sure to be a crowd-pleasing celebration. 

- Ashton Lowenstein

09/10/12 - vs. Holland Patent

The Clinton Boys are back at it again!  It’s a colder afternoon this time: perhaps just cold enough to lead one to blame the weather for the poor start on Clinton’s behalf.  Anybody on the sideline could have seen that the warm-up was bordering on lackluster, that the majority of the team didn't have its head in the game yet.  Anybody who has experienced it, however, can attest to the fact that the ritualistic yet chaotic pre-game "Bonzo" chant is enough to fill an entire team with enough energy to stampede like one big bull.

Sadly enough, the emotion and energy gained from the group "Bonzo" died all too quickly.  Holland Patent, Clinton"s adversary for the match, was there for the same reason the boys in maroon were: to win.  HP (Holland Patent) burst out of the gates playing a physical and forward-oriented game, stopping only, for the first half at least, for Clinton's counter-jabs and occasional game-controlling offensive maneuvering.  By the end of the first half both teams were equally in the game, both equally determined to leave victorious.

Maroon gradually built up steam, culminating in a late-tying goal by Sophomore Schuyler Malak.  While not every player was out of form during the game - as there will always be players who perform better than others - the team as a whole was not one fluid unit: rather it was several groups who linked a couple passes, or, in the worst case, 11 different units on the field together.

The game ended in a 3-3 tie after two overtime sessions.  While talking to a reporter after the game, it was remarked to Coach Palladino that if the reporter had ever seen a game that deserved to be a tie, it was this one.  Coach Palladino, however, disagreed: he thought that the HP boys played better, with more heart, and deserved the victory.  To many it may appear that this team is a fledgling one - and for now that may be. But as this Clinton squad accrues experience both with each other and against other teams, there will be great hope and promise of success.

- Ashton Lowenstein

09/12/12 - vs. Sherburne-Earlville

Now the Clinton boys are getting down to business. After the tie against Holland Patent two days prior, the squad knew it had to produce before it fell into a rut of near-mediocrity - and for the most part it did.

First of all, the warm-up was close to polar-opposite compared to Monday's warm-up. Every player's head was certainly more focused going into this game, and it showed. The players started the game rather excellently: with a tight grip on the game. It's important to any team's game-play that it controls the ball, and thus dictates the pace and mood of the game. Sherburne-Earlville, the opponent of the match, did not lie down and take it however. Had they been total push-overs, Clinton would have scored consistently in the first half. Such was not the case, as was apparent by the 1-0 lead at half-time, with the goal scored by Senior Kyle Coin.

A one-goal lead is a lead, but it's not comfortable and it's not good enough for a squad where "good enough is not good enough!" Similarly, the Sherburne-Earlville squad got a talk from it's coach about how a one-goal deficit is not good at all. With half-time to establish for both teams that the remaining 40 minutes would have to be intense, 22 players once again resumed the field.

Where the first half was definitely dominated by Clinton, the second half was nebulous as to who owned it. Clinton's firm and controlling game-play deteriorated a little, while Sherburne-Earlville's got a little better. After remaining 1-0 for quite some time, the opposing team was fouled what couldn't have been more than 40 yards from the goal, resulting in a free-kick. They capitalized on the kick, and scored a goal (even though the player who scored was offside when the ball was kicked, but hey, what's an off side call when the game is being held at 1-0?)...

So, of course, the game went into overtime, stalemated at 1-1. Coach Palladino gave explicit orders to the players on the bench: when we score the goal to win the game, you are to run out there and celebrate as a team. Yet it still wasn't clear who would win the game: both teams had deceivingly good opportunities. One wouldn't have been very wrong at all to have assumed that the game was mere seconds away from ending at several instances during overtime. That simply made it much more exciting when Kyle Coin buried another goal to win the "golden goal" overtime session, thus unleashing a flood of rapture and existential fury onto the field in the form of 18 excited soccer players.

- Ashton Lowenstein

09/14/12 - vs. Canastota

There's nothing better than a win at home in front of a slough of adoring fans. Home games have a truly electric atmosphere: the Clinton players have a sense of security, being on home turf, while the Clinton crowd comes out in droves to support its soccer program. Not only were there the parents and family members of the players, but also a mass of fellow students, decorated in maroon and white to show support for their school.

The Clinton squad certainly went into the game feeling confident, after winning a game two days earlier. As the players sized up the Canastota crew, Sophomore Jake Landry summed up everybody's thoughts with few words: "There’s blood in the water, let’s get them."

Figuratively, the stars were in alignment for Clinton this night: the team dominated the game offensively and quashed any opposition on defense. Soccer, when played correctly, is truly the most beautiful game to behold, and the home team put on a "clinic," as Coach Palladino said the game should be prior to kickoff.

While the 5-0 victory at home, with goals scored by Garret Drejza, Ben Owens, and Gavin Gleasman, definitely boosted the confidence of the team, one will never see its players gloat or become arrogant, because they know how hard a team has to work to earn every win.

- Ashton Lowenstein

09/21/12 and 09/22/12 - Skaneateles Tournament

The Clinton Warriors were invited to a tournament in Skaneateles featuring the host-team, West Genesee, Burke Catholic, and Clinton; certainly it would be no easy task to walk away with two victories.

This wasn't going to be good solely based on the team's performance on Friday the 21st.

Clinton got paired up with West Genesee in the opening game of the tournament. Both teams played a physical and athletic first half, resulting in a 0-0 tie at halftime. One can imagine the speeches being given to the teams as they sat in their respective groups listening to respective captains and coaches. Without a doubt, both teams were being told they needed to come out onto the field in the second half with twice as much energy as before and win the seemingly even-matched game.

To be frank, Clinton's second half was below par. West Genesee put 4 in the back of the net. There were, as the team has come to expect, calls made by the referees that were disagreed with, but even Coach Palladino admitted that the calls didn't lose the game. Nobody held his head high after the game, each player and coach suffering - for at least a little while - from the post-loss realization that every team is mortal, every titan is in fact conquerable.

Saturday had to be a different day. Saturday had to be a better day. All four teams in the tournament were invited to breakfast at a restaurant in Skaneateles on Saturday morning; the Clinton players all showed up dressed well and ready for redemption. There was a different attitude among the Warriors that day: perhaps everybody had been humbled by the previous loss.

In order to provide a relaxing fun medium for the soccer players, a skills competition was organized for Saturday morning. There would be a crossbar hitting competition, a best-trick competition, and a juggling competition. Clinton players participated in all three competitions, with a 1/3 success rate: Clinton's Jack Hughes won the juggling and received for his skills a $25 gift card.

Prior to the game in Clinton's locker room the atmosphere was tense. Everybody knew the team could prove to the other groups that this set of players would take nothing lying down. Coach Palladino gave an electrifying speech to the players, telling them that regardless of the outcome of the game, if they left everything on the field and fought like true Warriors to win, he would still be immensely proud of his team.

So Clinton stepped onto the field to face a talented Burke Catholic squad. The first ten minutes were spent by both teams sizing each other up. The first goal came when a long ball was sent up the field toward Burke's goal. After a large bounce off the turf, it was put into the net by Steve Ford - who came barreling toward the opponent's goalkeeper and headed the ball past him. Despite getting punched by the goalkeeper, surely there was nothing but good feelings for Steve. Gavin Gleasman also scored one for Clinton in the first half, sliding an excellent shot past the goalkeeper. Burke also had two goals in the first half, with the first 40 minutes drawing to a close at a 2-2 tie.

During the team's halftime speech by Captain Tim Doyle and Coach Palladino, an important fact was brought up: they had been in the same situation the day before, tied at halftime. It would be crucial then that Clinton went into the next half ready to score before Burke in order to keep the forward momentum.

Clinton did not score first in the second half. Burke scored first in the second half. Had the game been going on against the Clinton of 24 hours before, the game might have ended at 3-2. But no, Steve Ford and Gavin Gleasman both scored one more goal each to put Clinton in the lead with a score of 4-3. Steve's second goal was even gutsier than his first: this time he ran straight into the goalpost to score. He later said to Coach Palladino: "I saw the post and said to myself 'Screw it.'" When asked by his teammates directly after he scored how he felt, he exclaimed: "I scored a goal!" Gavin scored in a similar fashion to his first goal, but what the team will remember is his celebration, which he did earlier in the season as well, where after scoring he leads his team to the corner flag.

The game ended at 4-3, with Clinton as the victors. Since the beginning of the season, before and after the game the team has linked arms with each other and stood in a circle. This is the time when Coach Palladino makes his remarks about how well the team should play and subsequently how well the team actually played. In this instance he was so overwhelmed by the tenacity of the team that he almost couldn't get his speech out. In the face of what could have been taken as adversity, the team persisted and prevailed to prove it can not be easily shaken.

- Ashton Lowenstein

09/24/12 - vs. Adirondack

It had all of the ingredients for an upset. The Warriors were coming off their emotional, hard-fought victory over Burke Catholic. The Adirondack Wildcats knew that a victory at home over perennial powerhouse Clinton would put them in sole possession of first place in Division 1 of the CSC. Last week's thunderstorm cancelled this game at Adirondack and so an unwanted Monday game - without a practice - was scheduled.

All of the ingredients...

But a revamped Warrior defense would not have any of this. Schuyler Malak started as outside right defender and Jake Landry moved into the stopper position for the first time this year. The two Sophomores anchored a defense that limited the Wildcat offense to three very weak shots on goal.

It was a challenge for the Warriors to break through the packed-in Adirondack defense who wanted to have nothing to do with building an offensive attack and everything to do with putting 8 and 9 defenders in the box. But the Wildcat overly aggressive play (18 fouls and a yellow card) finally brought them down when their right defender was beaten by the sleek moves of Sophomore Gavin Gleasman after a spirited 40 yard run with the ball with about 5 minutes to play. A penalty kick was whistled. Gleasman was too beat up to take the kick and so Ben Owens stepped to the line. The whistle blew. Owens approached the ball and drilled it into the back of the net to the keeper's left. His mates went crazy and Clinton had the lead they knew they wouldn't relinquish.

Max Huckaby and Alec Firsching combined on their second shutout of the year and Clinton prevailed 1-0.

- Coach Palladino

09/28/12 - vs. Cooperstown

It's a long bus ride from Clinton to Cooperstown. Clinton has spent three nights out of the five this week taking long bus rides to soccer games: such would tire any group. The week itself has been mercurial, with a narrow victory and a narrow loss for Clinton in the prior two games. This is the second meeting of Cooperstown and Clinton this season; certainly Cooperstown is looking to settle the score from earlier this month.

A particularly brisk evening this is, overcast, muddy. There is an unmistakable tension among the players on the field; some kind of feeling like everybody has been an enemy for years. Conflict rears its head several times, often times originating from one single Cooperstown player. Needless to say, a very physical game was played.

Several breakdowns on Clinton's behalf lead to Cooperstown scoring three goals, with no goals in response from the boys in maroon. The Warriors will always have their adoring fans, parents, students, alumni, but let us hope that they don't fall into a rut, a pattern of team-wide disappointment. Every game, however, is a new opportunity for Clinton to show why they are on top.

- Ashton Lowenstein

10/02/12 - vs. Holland Patent

Holland Patent, the first of Clinton's home games in the recent weeks and the second re-match in Clinton's schedule, played as was expected: well. The Warriors tied HP earlier in the season after two overtime sessions to leave the score locked. The Clinton players knew they should have won nearly a month ago, making this game a perfect opportunity to prove it.

While the game is certainly the focus of this article, the writer feels he should set aside some space for the crowd. The mothers, in particular, of the Clinton Soccer players all wore matching pink shirts that read "Mothers Forever," (a play on a recent Clinton Soccer t-shirt slogan, Brothers Forever) in support of the fight against Breast Cancer. All of the people involved in the making, wearing, and supporting of the shirts are thanked.

As one would hope, both teams had gotten better since they last met. Thus it seemed that perhaps HP would be able to hold the Warriors to a draw, again. This would not be the case, however, as Steve Ford rifled a ball past the Holland Patent goal keeper, making it 1-0 for Clinton.

Much of the rest of the game was spent by Clinton trying to preserve the one-goal lead. The Warriors played hard (one would certainly hope so, considering the name "Warriors"): so hard that when Kyle Coin went to challenge for a 50-50 ball he might have gotten a concussion. As frightening as that is, it must be noted that if either of the two players involved in the collision should have ended up with a concussion, it should have been the Holland Patent player, as Coin went up for the ball with fury, leaving the HP man on the ground after the collision.

As was remarked before, where one could say the "new" team might lack experience and robustness, it makes up for it with determination and heart.

- Ashton Lowenstein

10/04/12 - vs. Sherburne-Earlville

Clinton doesn't lose at home. It just doesn't. This fact would have made it very hard for opponent Sherburne-Earlville to win.

The weather was whimsical, really. At the start of the game it was surprisingly warm for the season. But by the end of the game, after the sun went down, the players, coaches, and crowd were all grabbing at extra layers of clothing to keep warm.

A rather early goal by Ben Owens allowed for Clinton to come out of its shell in the game and be more aggressive. This, however, did not mean Sherburne-Earlville became submissive. The opponent had many chances to score throughout the game, but was shut down time after time by both the Clinton goal keeper Max Huckaby and by the Clinton defense.

- Ashton Lowenstein

10/06/12 - vs. Westhill

Said Coach Palladino: "Treat this game like it's a sectional game." The boys are away at Westhill, meaning a turf field and lights for when it gets dark. Clinton has had its fair share of Syracuse area teams this year, dating all the way back to June when the players competed in the West Genesee Summer League.

By this point in the season, many players in any sport are likely to have gotten some kind of illness. With that said, Clinton Soccer is no exception: some players have colds, others with their various other ailments. Kyle Coin, who was injured in the Holland Patent home game, is still out of the action.

Clinton tried to execute its offensive game plan against Westhill, and it might have worked, had the defensive game plan been carried out in its entirety. Westhill ended up winning the game 4-0, but they did not play a 4-0 game. What Clinton takes away from this game is that some opponents will be more astute to pick up on little errors made by our defense, and it will eventually be our end.

- Ashton Lowenstein

10/10/12 - vs. Canastota

After a stretch of reassuring home games, Clinton is on the road, facing Canastota. If the reader remembers from the beginning of the season, Canastota proved to be a relatively easy opponent the first time the two teams met. Time matures everything: that is certain. What is not certain, however, is to what extent time will mature something. As was evident from the game, Clinton matured more than Canastota did. While the opponent was definitely manageable in the first meeting, Clinton's prowess as a team improved so much that the squad was able to maintain total control for almost all of the game.

The game ended 8-1. Several different Clinton players had goals; most notably of which, one could say, was a hat-trick by Sophomore Schuyler Malak. Canastota's goal came late, off a rather long shot, chipped over fourth-string substitute-goalkeeper Gavin Gleasman's head. When asked what happened after the fact, Gavin commented "I should have been given time to warm up before going in! I wasn't even allowed to warm up!"

When Clinton scores goals, it isn't to embarrass a team or the team's players. Clinton scores goals to learn. So when the team walks away with a landslide victory, there is no gloating or arrogance involved, only an astuteness that it's possible to score and play the way both teams just did.

- Ashton Lowenstein

10/12/12 - vs. Adirondack

It's Seniors' Day! Yes, a day on which the team's Seniors are honored and well-wished for their futures by the fans and families involved in the program. And what better than a cold day for such festivity?

This game involves a match-up between Clinton (home) and Adirondack (visitors). Clinton narrowly came away from the teams' first meeting earlier this season with a 1-0 victory. But no game is the same, so how will this one play out?

The Warriors go up early, with a goal assisted by Kyle Coin and scored by Captain Tim Doyle (Tim's first goal of the season). Anybody who has played soccer before knows that the momentum earned from scoring first is incredible, sometimes crucial to the outcome of the game. Adirondack answers later in the half with a goal of their own, leaving it tied 1-1 at halftime.

At halftime the Clinton Seniors are honored for their commitment to the team. They get called up from a group one by one, shake Coach Palladino's hand, and receive a parting gift. Then the player's parents come onto the field from the crowd and share a photograph with their son. Having participated in the ceremony, I can say it felt great.

Back to the game.

Nearly mid-way through the second half, Adirondack commits a foul just outside the corner of the penalty box. Gavin Gleasman and Tim Doyle set up on the ball. This could be it? Will they score? Gavin runs over the ball and Tim kicks it... The ball makes its way through the crowd of people in the box, hits the far post, and rebounds at just the right angle such that it plants itself in the back of the net. The team goes crazy; Doyle runs over to the packed Clinton crowd, drops to his knees in celebration, and gets piled on by his teammates.

All of the Clinton players are now feeling on top of the world: it's Seniors' Day and the team is up 2-1. Good things, sometimes, don't last forever, however. Adirondack scores another goal late in the half, responding with tenacity that surely upsets the Clinton athletes.

So the game goes into overtime. This means that if any goal is scored, the game ends in favor of the scoring team. This is a great amount of pressure to be put on a team, especially on the team's Senior Night.

Shortly into the first overtime session, Tim Doyle gets the ball again. He passes the ball to Ben Owens, receives a pass back several yards away from the eighteen yard line, and makes contact with the ball rocketing it into the goal. The whole Clinton bench erupts and spews onto the field, chasing Doyle to the other sideline, where Clinton fans and players have already formed a mob around him.

After the game, as a part of the celebration for Seniors' Day, there is a party with apple cider, food, and a cake, all provided by the parents of the underclassmen players. Great merriment follows the game: the Clinton players, parents, and fans all go home happy.

If one had to put a headline on this article, one might wish to consider something along the lines of: "Doyle Delivers," or perhaps even "Doyle Dominates."

- Ashton Lowenstein

10/27/12 - vs. VVS - NYS Section III Class B Quarterfinal

Today is Clinton's first Sectional game. Nobody is expecting to walk through the game with ease like some of the games earlier in the season.

Being that today is a Saturday, many more people than usual are able to come: there are full spectator areas for both Clinton and VVS.

It's a pleasant day for soccer: warmer than usual, mild weather. Both teams are ready to advance to the semi-final round; neither team is ready to lose today. A fight is expected from each side.

Much of the game is spent trading equally forceful blows (though certainly not in the same manner as Clinton's game against Ilion prior to today). Clinton, however, is able to maintain overall control of the game.

The game ends 2-0. Goals have been scored by Schuyler Malak and Garrett Drejza, both assisted by Steve Ford. Clinton wins and thus advances to the next round to play Westhill.

- Ashton Lowenstein

11/01/12 - vs. Westhill - NYS Section III Class B Semifinal

Clinton plays Westhill tonight. The weather has made a complete turn-around since the game against VVS several days ago: now it's cold and it's raining on the turf field under the lights in Chittenango.

The atmosphere in the Clinton locker room is tense prior to the game. Everybody on the team knows the quickly approaching game will be his greatest battle all season. For eight seniors, this could be the last game they ever play as a varsity soccer player. Nobody wants this to end.

Almost all of the odds are stacked in favor of Westhill: they play on turf all year, their players are better than Clinton's, and they're undefeated this season. But Clinton has heart, and if they want something enough they will stop at nothing to achieve it.

So the game begins. Clinton fights very hard, perhaps dodging some bullets along the way, and shuts down every Westhill scoring opportunity in the first half. We've been here before though: half time, tied score. Clinton just has to get one goal and there could be an upset.

The second half starts in a similar fashion. One can see that Westhill is frustrated, having been held 0-0 for over forty minutes. Eventually the otherwise strong Clinton defense (now defined as all eleven players on the field) makes a little mistake, and Westhill capitalizes. 1-0. Clinton wants this too badly to give up after only one goal, with a majority still left in the half. They keep fighting. The momentum, however, gained by Westhill from the goal proves to be too much. 2-0.

Clinton refuses to let anymore goals in, thanks mostly to Max Huckaby's incredible goal tending. Sadly, the game ends all too quickly. The season was a good dream, and when the clock ran out everybody woke up.

This is the end of the road for eight Clinton seniors, including myself. I am very happy I decided to play soccer this year, having made so many friends. Contrary to my wishes - I wish I could have written an article about Clinton winning the State Championship - I must say goodbye. It has been a great pleasure of mine to write on behalf of my team.

- Ashton Lowenstein