Meshanko a steady presence in goal for Gateway boys soccer

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, September 17, 2017 | 10:39 PM

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In many cases, a goalkeeper is measured by how many times he stops the opposing team from scoring.

That is just one minor detail in the case of Gateway senior Sam Meshanko.

Meshanko, an all-WPIAL goaltender a year ago, has led his team to a 2-2-1 overall record and 0-1-1 mark in Section 4-AAA.

Both of Gateway's losses were followed by a win or a tie, which speaks a lot to Meshanko's leadership as one of the few upperclassmen on a team loaded with young talent.

“We are very young,” first-year coach Bernie Stiles said. “We have a few upperclassmen, but we are starting some younger players. When that is the case, you are going to have good games and bad games. That is where we are now.

“Sam was voted captain by the coaches and his teammates. It was a no-brainer. He has the respect of all of the players. He is intelligent about the game and commands respect by how he works.”

In the wins against Central Valley and Woodland Hills and the tie against Thomas Jefferson, Meshanko didn't allow a goal.

It is one thing to be stellar in net, but it is his knowledge of the game and how he sets up his defense that leads to so few chances by the opposition.

“Any good goalkeeper organizes his back line and makes sure there is a transition in the midfield from offense to defense,” Stiles said. “That is one thing he is very, very good at. This is why he is a step above.

“There is a lot of times where he has a clean slate and looks like he didn't have a lot of saves, but there is a lot of stuff that he did to make sure the opponents didn't even get a shot off. He has soccer smarts.”

Meshanko also can serve as a valuable weapon on offense, with his ability to be accurate with distance on his free kicks.

Entering his senior season, Meshanko was already on the watch list of many Division I soccer programs, most notably is West Virginia. He also has the attention of a plethora of Division III programs in the area.

Before he makes the decision on what team he will help next, Stiles believes with Meshanko, the goals the team have set are well within reach.

“Every coach has their opinion on what the most important position is,” Stiles said. “The goalkeeper can make or break a team. With having Sam in goal, he gives me options on how I can play my outside backs and how I even play my midfield. We try to take chances at different points in the game because we know we have him back there.

“We have three base goals and then build up the pyramid to the ultimate goal. With Sam in goal, our goals are pretty lofty. He allows us to set high goals.”

Drew Karpen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Gateway