Wolfpack U-18 posts another shutout

Mike Sciacca, Independent

A spectacular 2000 season for the Wolfpack Under-18 boys soccer

team ended Sunday with an appearance in the Snicker’s US Youth Soccer

National Championships division final, where the squad lost on penalty

kicks to Scott Gallagher of St. Louis, 5-3, following a scoreless match

played at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Wolfpack etched its name in Sunday’s division final by blanking

Charlotte SC Blue of North Carolina, 3-0, last Thursday. That win was the

second by shutout for Wolfpack, who opened the tournament on Tuesday with

another 3-0 win, this one, over FC Delco Black of West Chester, Pa.

Against Charlotte, Wolfpack (59-8-2) staked its way to a 2-0 halftime

lead behind the play of Dan Collins and Drew McAthy. Collins, an All-CIF

performer at Edison High, scored in the 24th minute by volleying in an

eight-yard shot set up by a McAthy pass. Just before halftime, McAthy, an

all-county player from Huntington Beach High, ran down Pat Parker’s pass

near the end line, then slipped the ball to Collins, who scored on a low

shot from five yards out.

Devin Kato, also an All-CIF player out of Edison, scored in the 83rd

minute to up Wolfpack’s lead to 3-0, and goalkeeper Joe Balbas (Edison)

needed to make just one save to preserve the shutout.

In Sunday’s division final, 90 minutes of regulation play, two

overtime periods, and a tremendous save by goalie Brian Schoenbein during

the penalty kick phase allowed Scott Gallagher to escape with the crown.

Holding a 3-2 lead, Schoenbein stopped Kato’s third round attempt for

Wolfpack, which proved to be the difference in the contest.

“This (final) was a game we could have won with a little bit of luck,”

Wolfpack Coach Glenn Strachan said upon his return home Tuesday from

Florida. “We had our chances, but we just didn’t convert.

“This has been a phenomenal season, one that got better and better as

the year went on, and one that we took to the very end. This also was the

greatest group of guys that I’ve ever worked with, both as players, and

as human beings. What made this team such a great team was that it worked

as a team, not any as any one individual.”

Balbas was named the goalkeeper of the tournament, and Strachan also

praised the play of defenders Jeff Kunze (Edison, CIF Division 2

defensive player of the year), Nick Schwab (Huntington Beach,

all-county), and Ian Buchanan (Fountain Valley), the scoring of Cliff

McKinley (Fountain Valley, CIF Division I Offensive Player of the Year,

Coca Cola Player of the Year and national team member who scored three

goals in the tournament), and Chris Wimmer (Fountain Valley, third team

All-CIF), John Clark (Fountain Valley, first team All-CIF), and Josh

Finestone (Edison).