Calhoun excited for second half

After coming out like gangbusters and routing Mepham, 6-0, in the Conference AA-III boys’ soccer opener, finding the back of the net hasn’t come easy for Calhoun. The Colts stand at 2-1-3, good enough for third place, but with a little more offensive firepower they could be right in the hunt for league supremacy.

After going four games without a victory, Calhoun hopes it turned things around when it knocked off visiting Long Beach 3-0, on Sept. 23. Senior Jack Thomann scored five minutes in for the only goal the Colts would need. Shaun Bartholomew and sophomore Michael Harten also scored.

Calhoun coach Jim Cantley is hopeful that his team is set for a solid second half of the season. “We had a couple of quality wins, and a few ties early on where we wish we would have come out on top,” Cantley said. “We’ve seen everybody once, and feel we can be better the second time around. We have great chemistry, and we’re having excellent practices. We just need to put it all together.”

Bartholomew is the go-to player for the Colts. The senior forward, who leads the team with four goals, is outstanding at creating space and receiving. Senior captain Matt Krause is a pesky forechecker who wreaks havoc as opponents attempt to get the ball out of their own end.

While burying scoring opportunities has been a challenge, the Colts have done a nice job of keeping the ball out of their own net. Anthony Curcio, a first-year starter, has been outstanding in goal. The senior keeper has registered three shutouts, and had 12 saves in a 0-0 tie with a MacArthur team that has lost just one regular season match since 2012.

The defensive unit has been Calhoun’s rock. Thomann, a physical player who wins nearly every 50/50 ball, and senior Eric Rawson, a strong-legged sweeper, lead a defense that has let up one or fewer goals in five of Calhoun’s six games. Both earned All-Conference honors as juniors.

On the outside, Calhoun has senior Patrick Horn, who handles the majority of the throw-ins, and junior Brian Hendrickson, who usually draws the assignment of marking the opponent’s top offensive threat. 

Center-midfielder Chris Cederroth, an All-Conference recipient in 2013, is an intelligent, two-way player. The senior captain has two goals on the season. Sophomore Joe Thomann is a more offensive-minded center midfielder. The younger Thomann is terrific on corner kicks.

A pair of hard-working seniors man the outside midfield positions for the Colts. Nick Moehringer and Max Vitale are tireless players who are solid at taking opponents on, and leading the team in transition. Harten, a technically-sound, skilled player, has scored three goals on the season. Junior Stephen Dobre provides depth on the outside.

The Colts will travel to Elmont on Monday, Oct. 6 for a 4:30 p.m. start at Dutch Broadway Complex. The first meeting between the teams ended in a 1-1 tie.