| | | Contributed photo by Cheryl Clough
Milford’s Kurt Lutz goes up for a header against Cincinnatus in a Daily Star Hall of Fame Cup consolation game Sept. 11 at the Wright National Soccer Campus. Senior defender Lutz and his undefeated Milford boys soccer team return to the WNSC on Saturday in the Tri-Valley League final against defending Section Four Class D champion Laurens. |
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>By Jeff Vella
Staff Writer
Extreme Makeover: Tri-Valley League Edition.
That describes what 12 months has done to the Milford boys soccer team, which takes on Laurens at 3 p.m. Saturday in the league championship at the Wright National Soccer Campus.
In the 2004 T-V final, the Wildcats were considered a plucky bunch that succeeded because of hard work and overachieving players. Milford’s 2-0 loss to Edmeston was about the result people expected.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]The Wildcats bring basically the same group into Saturday’s game, but they’ve changed a lot in the last year.
Milford (15-0-2) is the only undefeated boys team in the area, has the state’s No. 4 Class D ranking and earned the top seed for the upcoming sectional tournament.
"I think we were happy to be there last year," said 28th-year coach Frank Spurchise, whose team graduated two seniors. "Getting there isn’t enough this year. The guys will be disappointed not to put the finishing touches on their season. They want this to be the punctuation mark."
Laurens (11-4-1) is the defending sectional champion, but coach Dave Miller has embraced the underdog role for Saturday. His team lost, 1-0, to Milford on Sept. 6.
"We really don’t have too much to lose," Miller said. "They’re undefeated and hopefully the pressure will be on them. My guys are thrilled to be there."
The Leopards squeezed into the title game by winning a shootout against Gilbertsville-Mount Upton on Tuesday. The West Division tiebreaker ended in a 0-0 tie after regulation and overtime, and Laurens earned a dramatic 5-4 victory on penalty kicks. It’s the Leopards’ first championship-game appearance since winning three straight T-V titles from 2000-02.
"This is probably the hardest-fought division title I’ve ever been a part of because we’re limping along, losing guys to injury," said Miller, referring to Jesse Campbell’s broken right leg suffered Oct. 6. "I’m just trying to keep the boat from sinking, and these guys have really stepped up. That’s what makes it more rewarding."
Milford last won a T-V title in 1996, and this is probably Spurchise’s best team since then. The Wildcats seemed to get stronger as the season progressed, winning their last four games by a combined score of 22-2. Those are big numbers for a team that struggled to score goals early in the season.
"We’re passing extremely well," Spurchise said. "We’re communicating better than any team I’ve had, and that’s the basis of my program — passing and talking."
Sophomore Dan Baxter leads the team with 13 goals, and senior midfielder Steve Kerr has 12 goals and six assists. Six others have between three and six goals.
"We have a lot of different players who score and a lot of different players who assist on our goals," Spurchise said. "Our guys have become familiar with one another, and I think sometimes it takes a long time for a team to jell. I’ve thought all along that if we could score some goals, we could be a scary team."
Milford also features senior Philip Schultes, arguably the top goalie in the league and one of the best in the area. Seniors Kurt Lutz, Kyle Hogan and Brett Laible anchor the defense, which has allowed an area-low eight goals this fall. Laible’s throw-in resulted in Milford’s only goal against Laurens earlier this season.
Spurchise said the defense will focus on Laurens senior Greg Breuer, who leads the team with 18 goals.
"We need to stop Breuer," Spurchise said. "We can’t allow him to turn. He’s the guy that does most of their damage. My philosophy is we always need to know where he is."
Breuer spent the first half of Tuesday’s game at center midfielder, and he could see time there Saturday in an effort to neutralize Kerr, Milford’s top playmaker.
"We’re ready to get revenge and see what we can do," Breuer said. "(Getting to the championship) was one of our big goals because we haven’t been there since 2002."
Miguel Short is second on the team with nine goals, and Adam Mish has six.
Senior sweeper Ryan Healt and junior stopper James Warren give the Leopards one of the top defensive duos around.
"They had to earn their trip here," Spurchise said. "They play in a very competitive division, and that’s only made them better.
"I’m expecting a very tough game," he continued. "My guys are confident but not cocky."
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Jeff Vella can be reached at jvella@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 209.
