The Freeport boys battle injuries to stay in the playoffs

From: Jerin Steele

Thursday, October 3, 2024 | 11:01 a.m

The phrase “Next Man Up” is used as a rallying cry by many teams, but the Freeport boys soccer team has endured more bumps and bruises than most.

A total of 19 players were in the starting lineup due to injuries and therefore had to make some changes, but there is still hope for a breakthrough in the postseason.

The Yellowjackets are 3-4-2 and in fifth place in Section 1-2A, but will play pretty much every team ahead of them or near them in the standings in the final weeks of the season.

“There have been between one and four players off the roster since Week 3 of the season,” Freeport coach Brad Walker said. “We were pretty banged up. We started the season with a plan and things went very well in the two and a half weeks. We played against Armstrong (in a non-sectional match) and won a very physical game 3-2 in dramatic fashion, but we came out of that game defeated and haven't really recovered since.”

Freeport started 3-0-1, including a 3-3 draw against group rival Shady Side Academy, but went 1-5-1 in its next six games. The Yellowjackets bounced back in their last two games with a win over Leechburg and a nonsectional win over Greensburg Central Catholic.

The good news for the Yellowjackets is that they have games scheduled against Burrell and Highlands, the two teams they will likely battle for fourth place. North Catholic, Deer Lakes, the section's top two teams, and Valley also remain on the schedule.

“We definitely need to make up some ground,” Walker said. “We went through a bit of a difficult period, which was unfortunate. We started the season undefeated (through four games) and were one of the highest-scoring teams in the WPIAL until we faced North Catholic and suffered a bit of a slide. Hopefully we can catch one of the teams ahead of us. It’s pretty much a three-team race for fourth place between Burrell, Highlands and us.”

Senior Angelo Porco leads the team in scoring. He scored both goals in a win over Greensburg Central Catholic and a hat trick against Leechburg.

Sophomore Xavier DeWitt and junior Eli Hassler anchored the defense. Sophomore Judah Thompson is the starting goalkeeper and Ryan Sutara is a key player in the midfield.

Although some more experienced players have been sidelined due to injuries, Walker now has the chance to see younger players in varsity action and he likes their potential.

“Given the injuries we have suffered, we rely on a lot of younger players,” Walker said. “We started four freshmen, three sophomores, three juniors and one senior against GCC. We're struggling with a few injuries, but we're also looking at the younger contingent of players at the moment. The players with the higher ceilings are our younger players. We are looking for them to contribute. We beat GCC 2-0 in a well-played football game and our younger boys played a big part in that.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: free port