Central Valley. Defense rules as the Varsity Boys Soccer team opens the year 1-0-1
| 04 Sep 2023 | 02:04
Nick Almeida (#23) battles past a Plainsman defender during Monroe-Woodbury’s home opener on Sept. 1. The game ended in a scoreless tie. Photos by William Dimmit.
Carlos Perez-Turcios (#27) tries to get a shot through the the Plainsmen defense.
Ryan Mattison (#7) on the attack in the first half against Shenendehowa.
Crusader Goalie Parker Giles cane up with one big save after another to shut out the Shenendehowa varsity soccer team.
On a beautiful sunny afternoon, Sept. 1, the Crusaders took the field to open their 2023 soccer season at home in Central Valley.
Monroe-Woodbury Varsity Boys Soccer Head Coach Kenny Clearwater, assisted by Marc Gawron, is going into his seventh season with a record of (73-20-9) with three Section, one Regional and one State titles. He has the boys ready to make another run into the playoffs.
The Crusaders look strong again this year with interest in soccer reaching an all time high in the Monroe-Woodbury School District evidenced by the record number of boys that tried out for this year’s squad.
The Crusaders’ opening day opponent was Shenendehowa Plainsmen, a traditional Section 2 power from Clifton Park. The home opener between the two sectional powers did not disappoint as the two teams battling to a scoreless draw.
The Crusaders offense led by Ryan Mattison and Luka Tatanashvili with two shots apiece on goal that came close but were unable to score.
But it was the defensive end where the Crusaders really looked sharp as goalie Parker Giles put on a show making diving saves to keep the Plainsmen off the board throughout the game.
The Crusaders followed up their opening day tie with a victory on Saturday morning when they defeated Section 1 Ossining High School 3-0 to improve to 1-0-1 on the season.
The Crusaders’ next game will be at home against the Cornwall Dragons.
- William Dimmit