Pine-Richland boys soccer sees hard work rewarded with playoff berth

By: Jerin Steele
Sunday, October 16, 2022 | 11:01 AM

After a long road, the Pine-Richland boys soccer team got its moment.

With a 3-0 win over North Hills on Oct. 11, the Rams clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2018.

It’s been a four-year effort for Rams coach Jordan Wiegand and his team, and it was fitting that it culminated on senior night.

The seniors have been building toward a playoff appearance for several years, and some like captains Ben Rishel, Colin Zvejnieks and Cale Klaff have been playing on the varsity squad since they were freshmen.

There were bumps along the way, but in the end they got their reward.

“It kind of felt surreal,” Wiegand said. “It was a long time coming. As happy as we all were, we know that there’s still games to play. We know the job’s not done. We’re hungry and ready for the next opportunity. It’s nice for the seniors because it’s something that they deserved. They put in their time. The low points, the high points … it’s been a roller coaster. Now we’re on a track where hopefully we can establish a winning tradition going forward.”

Sam Engel, Owen Baker, Tyler Derks and Tyler Fritz were in the starting 11 against North Hills.

Zvejnieks scored his 12th goal of the season in the win. The Rams also got a pair of goals from junior Nathan Bang.

While the seniors have brought leadership and experience to go along with their strong play, the Rams have also had major contributions from underclassmen.

Along with Bang, other juniors in the lineup were Jack Nolin, Ethan Wygant and keeper Cadan Bennett.

Bennett had seven shutouts through Oct. 12. Sophomore center back Matthew Koss has been coming into form as an anchor on the backline.

“Making the playoffs was big not only for the seniors, but to be able share the experience with the younger players coming up,” Wiegand said. “That’ll be a lasting impression and something they will want now that they understand what it is. They’ll have that feeling for the years to come. That’s what we’re trying to create.”

Pine-Richland had two section games against Shaler and Butler and a nonsection contest with Hampton to conclude the regular season.

The Rams don’t want their story to end with making the playoffs. They are determined to make a run.

To do so, they will rely on the steady, sound play that got them there.

“We just want to see consistency,” Weigand said. “We had a tough spell with some guys out in the middle of the season that made it difficult. We want to put together some good play through 100% of the match, keep up our fitness levels and get the boys’ legs at 100% going into the postseason. The other thing that I’ve always stressed here at Pine-Richland is we want to put up clean sheets. No matter how many goals we score, we want to always be defensively sound. That’s something we always pride ourselves on.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Pine-Richland