It’s soccer season in Upper St. Clair, and the highly acclaimed Boys Varsity Soccer Team is back and knows its goals.
Upper St. Clair Boys Soccer has a lot to live up to this season. The team has won States the past two years. Last year, twelve seniors graduated, including two All-State Selections. Having lost several key players from last season’s squad, as well as their longtime head coach for the season because of a severe injury, this year’s team certainly has its work cut out for it to match last season’s success. But that’s not stopping them from aiming high and continuing the legacy of distinguished performance.
So far, the season has been successful, according to a few seniors. “We are 9-0-1,” says senior captain Robbie Mertz. One of their recent victories over major rival Peters Township left the USC fans cheering loudly.
The seniors this year are nothing but exceptional and driven to make the most of their last year at USC.
Mertz, a captain, has been playing soccer since the age of three, and committed to the University of Michigan for soccer last spring.
Joseph Bell is a center forward. Bell has been a member of the soccer team for the past two years. He plans on going to college for engineering and may possibly play soccer there, too.
Garrett Blake, captain and defensive player, has been playing soccer since age eight, and hopes to attend, and possibly play, for West Virginia University or Penn State, where he will study petroleum engineering.
Rookie Kenny Rapko is goalie for the team. As a first-year player, he does not plan to play in college, but is enjoying his senior year with the team.
The other seniors who round out the team are J.P. Shrott, Zach Cherup, Bautista Martin, Hayden Bernhart (captain), Shane Sibley (captain) and Doug Hapeman (captain).
The talented senior line-up is eager to have a season to remember, and fortunately, the team is like a family.
“A big strength of ours is how close we are,” comments Blake. The tight-knit team is one reason the transition to new coach Mike Blatz has gone smoothly, also helped by the fact that Blatz coached many of the boys for the club team, Century United.
“Six of us played on his team for Century, so a lot of us have been with him since we were really young, so we actually know him better than our high school coach in a way; so for us, the transition’s been really easy,” comments Mertz. The team wishes their old coach, Uwe Schneider, who will be back next season, a safe recovery from his accident.
Boys JV head coach Mr. Magliocca, praises the varsity team: “Practices this year have been extremely productive with Coach Blatz and the coaching staff. We’ve really made a habit of taking the kids into the classroom […] and having them study film and look at the way the other teams play.”
As for goals, the team hopes to continue their successful season, win WPIALS, and get their third consecutive state championship, which no team has ever done in Pennsylvania. With their close, dynamic, skilled players and their dedication, the USC Boys Varsity Soccer team definitely has a chance to break a record. The third time’s the charm, right?