Latrobe’s boys soccer team continues to grow

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, August 23, 2018 | 7:30 PM

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Despite having just five returning starters, Latrobe’s boys soccer team believes it can make progress this fall.

The Wildcats welcome back seniors Marshal Kalning, Bryce Bolish, Matthew Henderson and Michael Hook and junior Luca Diiani from a squad that finished 6-10-1 overall last year.

“Just our chemistry right off the bat has been strong,” Kalning said. “Even though (most of the returning players) haven’t played with about 50 percent of the kids on the varsity team, we’re doing really well.”

The influx of new players is a sign the program continues to grow, along with interest in the sport at Latrobe.

“We had to have cuts for the first time ever. Before practice started, during the offseason and summer, I had 51 names on my list. Some of those names didn’t show up, but moving forward with that many players was too much. We kept 38 of them for JV and varsity. It’s a good problem to have,” Latrobe coach Tom Kennedy said. “It’s kind of a new year in a lot of ways. This is my fifth year, and this is the year everything clicks. All these kids now have been working with me and know the system, style and the rules. This is the first year where there’s really no transition.

“We’ve changed the mindset of soccer in Latrobe to make it a fun sport. It’s a game, so you need to have fun while you play. I am looking forward to this year. The kids are responding well, and they are working hard.”

Up top, Nolan Agostoni could join Bolish and Henderson.

“They can all put the ball in the net. We haven’t always had that,” Kennedy said. “All three can play in the midfield, too, if we need it.”

Kalning, who led the team in scoring last year, paces the midfield. Nate Myers, Ryan Banks and Diani join him.

“All four could move up and play striker, too,” Kennedy said.

Seniors Joey Costello and Hook and juniors Matthew Voloshin and Ian Malone are on defense. Seniors Sam Ridilla, Luke Sowinski and Matt Tomko and juniors Jacob Horner, Ethan Kamerer and Christian Stanley could see time at midfield or on defense, too. Sophomore Tanner Sabol takes over in goal. Senior Alex Bisignani and junior Clay McClintock are goalkeepers, as well.

“We have some really good freshmen, and I would not be surprised to see them crack the varsity lineup as the year goes on. They just need the experience of playing against older boys,” Kennedy said. “Every year is kind of a little rebuilding year. I am optimistic these guys can be fairly successful. They’ll have good games. We played our tough teams close last year. I think we have more younger kids that are talented coming up right now that are ready to play sooner. Some of them are hungrier than in the past. When you don’t have enough people, the pressure is not there to have to perform all the time. Now, it is.

“In practice, they are doing things I say once or twice, and we don’t have to keep going over it. When I say it now, it’s not like a foreign language because they’ve done it before. Everything is very positive.”

Latrobe finished 4-8 in WPIAL Section 4-4A last season. The Wildcats are in Section 3 now, but hope to challenge for a playoff berth.

“Just like every year, our minds are on making playoffs as of now,” Kalning said. “In past years, we’ve had some times where we’ve given up on ourselves. Even if we do fall back a little, we know that we can get back because the section is very competitive. We definitely have good leadership with the five captains we have. We all have a lot of different experiences we can pull together.”

Joe Sager is a freelance writer.

Tags: Latrobe