Young Riverview boys soccer team gets early-season experience

By: Michael Love
Saturday, August 30, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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The Riverview boys soccer team didn’t have to wait to be tested as it opened the season Aug. 22 at the Indiana tournament.

The Raiders, featuring a mix of seasoned talent and several newcomers, including freshmen, in the starting lineup and coming off the bench, needed a rally to overcome Freedom.

And a rally is what they got.

Riverview, which had a breakout season in 2024 with a trip to the WPIAL Class A playoffs, overcame a one-goal deficit in the final 20 minutes of the second half to score a 2-1 win.

“It was big because the new kids learned that at the high school level, the game is 80 minutes, and a 1-0 game is still within reach,” coach Mickey Namey said. “In junior high, it’s higher scoring, and the better kids tend to take over. They came in and really stepped up. It was a big win because Freedom was a playoff team last year. They lost to OLSH on penalty kicks in the first round. I knew it was going to be a good test right out of the gate.

“The guys were confident they could get the goals to come back and get the win. It was kind of a wake-up call because we were down and letting them kind of set the pace of play. The captains (junior midfielder Liam Ulrich, senior defender Carter Baldwin, junior midfielder Carson Bodnar) really stepped up and got everybody going. Instead of panicking, they got everybody together, and the guys started to play better.”

Freshman forward Gregory Morse wasted no time in establishing himself as a major player for the Raiders as he scored both goals with under 10 minutes left to rally his team to the victory.

The game-winner came with less than three minutes remaining as Morse took a cross from Ulrich and volleyed the ball out of the air and into the back of the Freedom goal.

“Greg is going to really be something,” Namey said. “He has a fire in his gut. He hates to lose.”

Freshman Tristan Groenvynck made his varsity debut in goal for the Raiders.

“He played a great game and made some really nice saves,” Namey said.

“He saved a penalty kick with about 20 minutes left, but the ball went right back to the taker, and he put it in for their goal. It was just an unlucky rebound. That was his third penalty kick. Highlands had two in the scrimmage, and he saved one there as well.”

Riverview suffered a 2-0 loss to Indiana in the second game of tournament play.

“Indiana was a triple-A section champion last year, and they got upset in the first round of the playoffs,” Namey said.

“They are a big school and a pretty powerful team. With these younger players, I wanted to put together a schedule that will really test us. We have 17 games, and 13 of them were playoff teams last year. Every game is someone who is fighting to get back to the playoffs like we are, from the teams in our section, to double-A Burrell and Highlands, and Indiana, and even (Aug, 26) with Beaver County Christian. Right out of the gate, we are pushing ourselves. We know it is a tough schedule, but we’re up for the challenge. That’s the way to get prepared for the playoffs.”

Riverview took on Beaver County Christian in a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff matchup. BCC scored two goals off headers in the 2-0 playoff final, and it scored the only goal of the rematch on a header off a throw in.

The Raiders recorded six shots but could not get one to the back of the net.

Riverview continues early-season games this week. The Raiders were slated to visit Burrell on Tuesday for their final pre-section tune-up. The game was to be contested past the deadline for this week’s edition.

The Raiders open Section 4-A play Thursday at Trinity Christian before a nonsection contest Saturday at Serra Catholic.

“Things have been going really well so far,” Baldwin said.

“We’ve bonded as a team. We all did a lot of good work and played a lot in the offseason to be ready. We took a lot of positive things from the first couple of games.”

Senior forward Devin Murphy, one of the top scorers last year with eight goals, was lost in the offseason because of an ACL injury. But, Namey said, he is still a big part of the team and has shown that through his leadership in practices and games.

“He was a little down because he knew it was going to be a big year for him, and we had high expectations for him,” Namey said.

“Now, he is here and doing a lot for us. When the forwards come off the field, he’s talking with them and telling them what he sees. He’s been kind of another assistant coach.”

Three team members this year are pulling double athletic duty. Junior forward Kyle Schuetz also is a kicker for the football team, junior midfielder Sidney Vespi is a member of the boys golf team, and freshman defender/midfielder Ben Radelet is a top-level runner for the boys cross country team.

Senior defender Korbin Cooper, also the team’s backup goalkeeper, is back on the field after having been cleared from a medical issue.

“There’s a lot of excitement around the program right now,” Namey said.

“We have our sights set on getting back to the playoffs this year, and we know with the young talent that came in and what is coming up from the junior high in the next couple years, the future is bright for us to win a lot of games.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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