NDES downs Weatherly in boys soccer
STROUDSBURG – The Weatherly Wreckers season came to an end Thursday afternoon in the District 11 boys soccer quarterfinal.
No. 3 seed Notre Dame East Stroudsburg tacked on two goals in the first half, before finally pulling away to a 6-0 victory over No. 6 seed Weatherly. NDES junior Sebastian Niestepski led the scoring affair with a hat-trick for the Spartans.
Niestepski’s first goal kicked off the Spartan scoring. Later in the first half, Colin Kissell stormed down the field and passed the ball to Connor Romes for the game’s second goal.
Gavin Tucker and Jason Apreku also added goals for NDES in the contest.
But the Spartan offensive outburst wasn’t enough to bring Kevin Kennedy and his Wrecker squad down.
“There’s a lot of stuff we do in the offseason to prepare us for the end of the season like this,” Kennedy said. “We’re real proud of the season overall. We met and exceeded all of our goals and targets for this, and that includes playing in a game like this.”
Weatherly had a few opportunities to score early, but were unable to take advantage of them.
However, the Wrecker fans showed their support at the game, and Kennedy and his team praised them once the final whistle blew.
“I’m glad to see people come on over,” Kennedy said. “I think as our community and our team grows, that’ll have a little more impact on it, and I’m looking forward to it.”
PREPARING FOR THE SEASON
… Coach Kevin Kennedy hinted how the offseason play made his team better. “I think a lot of offseason play; that’s one of the things that went well for us. During the season, we were picking up our heads a lot more than we used to. I think as these players get used to each other because of that offseason play, then it becomes more natural.”
POSITIVITY LIVES
… Kennedy talked about his team keeping the positive vibes. “We’re a very positive team, to the point where I think unanimously all the other coaches, teams and officials praise us for that. I credit the team for that, and they really came into today on a good side of things.”
ODDS AND ENDS
… Thursday’s quarterfinal between Weatherly and Notre Dame was moved to Stroudsburg due to poor field conditions at the school. NDES player Jordan Francis had some mammoth shots in the game, none of which accounted for goals. However, he was able to record two assists on the day. Also, a side note: Liam Naughton assisted Niestepski’s third goal of the game.