goals pg 4 9-14-23
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Goals a bit
different for PSA
soccer team
As an independent team that’s not playing for a league championship, the goals for Putnam Science Academy’s soccer team are a little bit different.
It’s about playing a good style of the game to help promote and grow the program. To that end, there are 47 players (with two more on the way) split into two teams in the program. And it’s about getting players in their final years placed in a college that is the best fit academically and athletically. To that end, all eight seniors off last year’s team and all 10 from the previous year are playing good minutes at the college level.
That said, this Prep team could be the Mustangs’ most dynamic to date, certainly since the 2019 team that has seen five players have success at the Div. I level.
“I can’t really speak too much on that team because I never saw them play in person,” said coach Ryan Dunnigan, now in his fourth year at the helm. “I am aware of them and the success they have had at college after PSA.
“What I can say though is that the culture of this year’s team from all the newcomers and a lot of the returners is really strong. That gives us as coaches a lot of flexibility in terms of what we can do tactically and teach them. We can get into different things right away. And it’s competitive. In terms of the overall quality and technical ability and ceiling for each of them, we are better than last year, by a decent amount.”
Last year’s teams had a lot of peaks and valleys, overperforming against some of its better competition while underperforming against some of the lesser opponents. Dunnigan, who is assisted by Atobra Ampedu, noted that even when underperforming in some preseason games this year, PSA got good results. And while they didn’t overperform in the preseason, if and when they do, that means “we’re playing really, really well,” he said.
PSA has terrific depth all over the field, starting up front with Thembani Phoya (Malawi), Fran Barcelo (Spain), Shima Rubeya (Burundi), Marcos Chantada (Spain), Alex De Lamoga (Spain), Vuki Jere (Malawi), Darren Kuyeri (Malawi), Airam Rodriguez (Dominican Republic), Shemeza Rubeya (Burundi), and Bernardo Vieira (Brazil) on the attack.
Team captain Joel Martinez (Spain) leads the midfielders and is joined by Geo Aniceto (Brazil), Mario Camacho (Spain), Renan Mafra (Brazil), and Jose Romero (Spain).
And in the back are Leighton Thomas (England), Lachie Quate (Scotland), KG Mathabatha (South Africa), Miguel Llorente (Spain), Marco Danini (Spain), Gabriel Gomes (Brazil), Nimal Kumar (United Arab Emirates), and Eduardo Moreno (Spain), plus keepers Erik Chang (Brazil), Marcos Ruiz (Spain), and Gabe Sacconi (Brazil).
Getting a team of international newcomers to gel on the field isn’t always easy. But Sacconi, who was on PSA’s second team in 2019 and has told every group since that the 2019 Prep team is the standard-bearer, said that this team has bonded well on and off the field, which can lead to a special season.
“When I came to the field this year, when I’ve seen this team practicing…I’ve seen that this team is different,” he said. “We are very strong in all three parts of the field. I think we can be a better team than even those 2019 boys. We have work to do for sure, but I think we can do some amazing things this year.”
PSA opens its season Thursday afternoon at Massasoit.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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