With versatile lineup, Shady Side Academy boys soccer rounding into form

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, October 4, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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The Shady Side Academy boys soccer team isn’t married to one approach. The Bulldogs are willing to move players — even their top scorers — into different spots to help earn the result they need.

Since starting the season by losing two of their first five matches, Shady Side Academy has gone 6-1-1 over its next eight. The Bulldogs (7-4-1, 7-3-1) are in third place in a competitive Section 1-2A behind North Catholic and Deer Lakes.

Shady Side Academy tied Deer Lakes, 2-2, on Sept. 25 and followed that with a 9-1 win over Burrell. The Bulldogs went 0-3-1 against the two teams above them in the section.

Shady Side Academy lost a pair of matches 3-1 to North Catholic.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all approach,” Bulldogs coach Ed Ellsworth said. “Mark Bence has 16 or 17 goals, and we’ve played him at the top all year. Against Deer Lakes, we moved him into the midfield because we needed more control.”

Ellsworth said having players who are able to fill multiple roles is a hallmark of Shady Side Academy’s program. The Bulldogs want to have as much flexibility with the lineup that they can.

“They come into the program, and they know the expectations, and they embrace it,” Ellsworth said. “Soccer is a game of principles. We teach the principles, and they execute them.”

Having that type of versatility has made Shady Side Academy dangerous on the attack. The Bulldogs average 4.8 goals per match. Shady Side Academy has scored eight or more goals four times this season.

Zachary Powers, Liam McKim and Manek Gerhardy have been among the players who have chipped in to support Bence on the attack. Being able to capitalize on scoring opportunities is where Ellsworth has seen the most improvement.

“Any guy can pop up and it can be his moment,” Ellsworth said. “We’re ready to take advantage. That’s where I’ve seen the biggest growth with guys anticipating their moment.”

Ellsworth said he believes facing the quality of the teams at the top of the section will pay off once the WPIAL playoffs start. The Bulldogs and their opponents have done a good job of pushing each other.

Ellsworth believes Shady Side Academy has come a long way since its slow start.

“I don’t think the scores were a reflection of the quality of the team,” Ellsworth said. “The chances we were creating and weren’t finishing allowed some games to get away from us.”

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