Goalie here, wing
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Published in the St. Petersburg Times, Thursday, September 1, 1983 By STEPHEN BUCKLEY "Tis not only the season for football these days. For smaller schools, who can't afford a football program, 'tis the season for soccer. Keswick Christian is one of those schools. For the last nine years, Keswick has been content to build one of the state's best soccer programs, rather than trying to delve into something it couldn't, er, tackle. For six years, Steve Short has coached the team. Last year, he took the Crusaders to an undefeated regular season. But in the district playoffs, his team lost to Tampa Prep in double-overtime. THIS YEAR, Short battles a tough schedule and a questionable goalie situation. The Crusaders face gritty Tallahassee MacLay three times, and the always-good St. John's twice. "I'm not sure if we'll have another perfect regular season," Short said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "But if we can get by with a few losses, I'll be satisfied." Short lost last season's starting goalie to graduation. He is uncertain about the lack of experience he'll have at that position this year. Apart from the schedule and the inexperience in goal, Short is optimistic. He did lose his starting winger, but said he's got a good one to replace him. He feels good about his midfield. His defense returns almost intact. And, maybe most importantly, his best goal poacher is back. Short lost his second-leading scorer, winger John Schmidt, but expects transfer Drew Logue to pick up where Schmidt left off. "He'll be a real asset to us on the front line," Short said. Short also likes his midfield. Dave Raday is the only returning starter, but that's enough for a bright outlook. "He's very strong," Short said. "He'll give us good control in the middle. We feel quite comfortable about our midfield." ON DEFENSE, Short lost only one starter--the stopper. He thinks the replacements will do an adequate job. What Short exults most about is the return of scoring machine--Matt Schmidt. In 17 games last year, he notched 40 goals, and comes back for his senior year. "Offensively," Short said, "I think we'll be very strong." Though always talented, Short said Keswick has never leaned on athletic skills only. There's more to building a soccer dynasty than teaching kids to kick a spotted ball. "Our strengths have always been unity and team spirit," Short said. "We've got a number of good players, but no one hogs the ball and no one gets on anybody's case--or else I take them out. It'll be the same way this year, for sure." |
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State
soccer champions 1983 | Pre-season stories | Post-season stories | State final stories | A little about Keswick | Team photo and autographs | Directory of Related Links |
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