Ryan rising junior Monte Guess (right) is one of many young, talented players who will return to the program in 2015. MARIA POUCHNIKOVA / TIMES PHOTO
Last year, as a №7 seed in the Catholic League soccer playoffs, first-year head coach Mike Bradby took his Archbishop Ryan boys on an improbable run to the semifinals.
In 2014, as the №8 postseason seed, there would be no such magical run.
In an opening round-playoff game last Friday evening, the host Raiders and visiting №9 Friars of Bonner-Prendie played to a scoreless tie for 110 minutes of regulation and overtime, setting the stage for a fan’s biggest source of excitement:
Penalty kicks.
Unfortunately, penalty kicks quickly become a nightmare scenario for whichever team comes out on the losing end; in this instance, that was the Raiders, who missed two of the four shots they took. Bonner-Prendie, meanwhile, converted all four of its chances in the shootout, sending the Friars to a meeting with top-seeded La Salle (one they would ultimately lose, 4–1) and the Raiders home for the offseason.
As always in such a setting, tears welled in the eyes of seniors such as Joe Boyle, Steve Gassman, Joe Stock, Justin Schnepp and Tim Bozzelli, players faced with the sudden, harsh realization that they had just played their final game in an Archbishop Ryan uniform. Eventually, with the benefit of time, the disappointment fades into hope for the program’s underclassmen.
“The seniors, it’s hard for them,” Bradby said after the game. “I told them before the game started that this could be the last time they’re part of a locker room, and as you saw, they were very upset, and understandably so. I just told them to stick together and be there for one another. What will come out of this is good senior leadership that will help the freshmen and sophomores going forward with the program.”
The Raiders went 3–7–1 in the Catholic regular season, the same number of wins they had in Bradby’s first season. Last year’s run to the semis perhaps placed unfair expectations on a young team that graduated standout goalie Jared Ott (now at Bloomsburg) and played six freshmen regularly on varsity, two of whom — Will Stackhouse and Jeremy Madrid — attempted shots in penalty kicks.
Bradby said that it “usually takes five years to build a program,” but that the Raiders were on the right track two years in.
“Right now I’m disappointed in the way the game went, but happy with the way our kids competed,” Bradby said. “I thought we played great and deserved to win, but that’s soccer: sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it goes the other way. It was a great experience for our program that we’re building. We’re headed in the right direction.”
Bradby gave credit to his opponent for hanging tough for 110 minutes, keeping Ryan off the scoreboard despite ample opportunities throughout. The Raiders’ youth showed at times in making mistakes, but it’s also obvious that the potential is there. Bradby, a former standout player at the school, knows the type of players he’s looking for, and this experience was all part of the process.
“When you play six freshmen, you’re going to take your lumps, but you’re also getting valuable experience,” he said. “And our seniors have been fantastic for the program. So we’ll take some time, talk to them and try to prepare them for the next four years of their lives.”
As for the plethora of underclassmen returning in 2015, Bradby was already pumped up to get the ball rolling toward next season.
“I’m always excited going into every year,” he said. “It’s unfortunate we fell short, and the priority right now is making sure the seniors are OK. It might take another year or two of building, but this program will be fine.”
