Spartan soccer rebuilds in a hurry

FLORIDA-It really should be a rebuilding year for the 2005 Seward Spartan soccer team. Five senior starters were lost from last year, including the high-scoring quartet of Joe Hoyt, Chris Dagele, Shane Meduski and Rueben Ramos, plus senior defender Mike Knapp. Apparently someone forgot to run that "rebuilding" theory by Spartan coach Bill Steele and his current players. So far, they are 4-0, (1-0 in Division play), outscoring their opponents 18-2. Two wins at upstate Hunter-Tannersville started the season off on the right foot. Win number one was a 3-0 shutout of the host team. Mickey Collins, Dylan Gaucher and Cory deJong scored the Seward goals. Win number two came in the Hunter-Tannersville Tournament, a semi-final win, 8-0 against Windham. Bryan Folkl and deJong each tallied twice in that one. Folkl's two goals are just one surprise this season. A stalwart on defense last year, Folkl has proved just as strong on the line. In another move, Brenden Myers, a full-time goalkeeper last year, has been moved to stopper on defense where his quickness and strength has made the defense more mobile. Taking his place in goal is junior Wayne Hallock, who has surrendered a total of two goals in four games. Hallock has two years of JV experience in the nets. Win number three was a 3-1 win at home against Sullivan West. Chris Slesinski opened the Florida scoring seven minutes into the game after the visitors seemed to have the upper hand. Rich Nozkowski was credited with the assist. At the 24 minute mark, the Folkl experiment paid off again as the rugged forward took a pass from Slesinski, stormed through two defenders and sent a shot that just skimmed inside the left post. With seven minutes left in the first half, Folkl struck again this time converting a pass from Gaucher. That third goal provided a little cushion as the Spartans drew blanks in the second half while the visitors scored once for the final 3-1 score. Against Chester at home on last Friday in the first league game of the year, the Spartans downed the Hambletonians 4-1. Although Florida controlled the ball in the early going, they couldn't score until the 30-minute mark when Dylan Gaucher converted a Slesinski pass. The Spatans upped that margin when Folkl slammed home a penalty kick just before the half. The second half was much more even, but Folkl managed to control a ball deep in Chester's goal area and shoveled a pass to deJong who was able to ram it in. Chester managed to narrow the gap to 3-1, by a goal by Slesinski on a Saddam Sahmanovic assist closed out the scoring.