Goshen Boys Varsity Soccer re-claims Section 9 title

Goshen — An outstanding season for the Goshen boys varsity soccer team ended on Friday, Nov. 11, with a 2-0 loss to Owego Free Academy in the New York State Regional quarterfinals in Oneonta. The Gladiators had already beaten Owego earlier this season, 1-0. The Gladiators’ hopes of getting to the Final 4, held this past weekend in Oneonta, were set back in the first half by the loss of their leading scorer, Tom Ribitzki, to injury. The Gladiators were already playing without two of their starting midfielders, tri-captain Alec Parker and Mike Lavell. The boys gave a valiant effort and had several chances to score but failed to capitalize. Max Jordan gave an outstanding effort in goal as did Rob Bumett in the midfield and Mike Meaney up front. Goshen advanced to the quarterfinals with a thrilling 6-3 opening round State playoff victory over Section 1 champ Nyack on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Goshen finished with 20 wins and only 2 losses and are currently ranked 5th in New York State class A. Goshen won its fourth Section 9 championship in the past five years on Saturday, Nov. 5, up at the Hudson Valley Sportsdome in Miltoa. The No. 2 seeded Gladiators defeated No. 5 seed Monticello 5-0 in a dominating performance. The boys finished an outstanding regular season with 17 wins and only 1 loss. The Gladiators outscored their opponents this season 69-18. Senior Tom Ribitzki led the team in scoring with 22 goals and 4 assists. Seniors Mike Meaney and Ryan Begany led the team in assists with 8 apiece. Senior Dcvin Carpenter anchored an outstanding defense that included juniors John Xanthis and Joe Bradley. Along with goaftenders Max Jordan and A.J. Zecchini, the Goshen defense had 12 shutouts in 22 games. Rob Burnett and Begany led a very talented midfield that helped make this team a highly explosive offensive team. In addition to the Varsity, the future looks bright for Goshen boys soccer as the junior varsity team had another outstanding season (14-2) and the varsity will return several talented underclassmen including Brandon Levine, J.R Francois, and Corey Zoutman. The players and coaches would like to thank their families and friends who cheered them all year and inspired them to play hard. A special thanks goes out to the Goshen Soccer Club for the nice coach bus they provided for the boys and their trip up to Oneonta. Editor’s note: This article was submitted by Coach Mike Kelly.