Honesdale boys soccer team battles Scranton Prep on Senior Night

HONESDALE — Scranton Prep is a perennial playoff contender in both the Lackawanna League and District 2 boys soccer.

This fall, the Cavaliers are once again one of the best teams in the area, currently battling Dunmore for the top spot in the overall Class AA standings.

Prep rolled into the Maple City on Tuesday night for its penultimate contest of the season against a Honesdale team that’s been ravaged by injuries.

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Seniors in the spotlight

The first time these two squads met, the Hornets struggled mightily to generate any offense and suffered a 7-0 defeat.

This time around, though, Coach Eric Eisele truly believed things would be different.

After all, it was Senior Night and his boys were playing in prime time before a big crowd on the new turf at the Daniel J. O’Neill Sports Complex. The possibility of an upset was crackling in the air.

Seniors Jack Eisele, Cole Chesna, Gavin Bresset, Cal Downey, Avery Ohliger, Julian Pons, Joey Taraschuk, Steve Vitale and Maxx Wolfenberg were honored during an emotional pre-game ceremony for all the contributions they’ve made to the program.

“This is an excellent group,” Coach Eisele said. “We may have fallen a little bit short of our goals this season, but the heart never faded from these kids. They keep working hard every single day and I just love coaching them.”

Thanks in large part to the efforts of Eisele and Chesna, Honesdale parlayed all of that emotion and energy into a terrific first half.

Eisele, who is a team captain and top scoring threat, broke through Prep’s vaunted defense for a pair of electrifying runs. The first ended with a sizzling shot that sailed just inches over the crossbar, while the second ricocheted off the post.

“Jack has done an excellent job as our center-mid and striker,” said Coach Eisele. “He has great vision and is a very vocal leader. Jack is also a great teammate.”

Meanwhile, Chesna turned in a courageous performance anchoring Honesdale’s young defense. The senior keeper stood tall in the face of myriad Cavalier attacks, making one athletic play after another.

Chesna finished the night with 12 saves, earning high marks from his mentor.

“This is Cole’s first year as the starting varsity goalie and he’s done a great job under difficult circumstances,” Coach Eisele said. “Cole gives us everything he’s got. He’s kept us in so many games this season.”

Honesdale battled Prep to a scoreless tie at intermission, setting the stage for what Hornets fans hoped would be an exciting second half.

Fading down the stretch

Unfortunately for a raucous Senior Night crowd, the Red & Black ran out of gas after the break.

Prep capitalized on its superior depth and big game experience to take control. The Cavaliers hammered home two quick goals, which deflated the Hornets and took their fans out of the game.

Junior forward Tony Nguyen struck first, scoring the initial goal of the night at the 37:01 mark off a pass from Vincent Remedios. Less than two minutes later, Nguyen assisted on a Daniel Palonis goal and Prep led 2-0.

“We just weren’t able to put the ball in the net,” Coach Eisele said. “We had a couple of chances, but we couldn’t punch it in. If one of those goes in, it’s a different game.

“The boys played an excellent first half. They had a tough first 10 minutes of the second half, but then they settled down and played hard and smart.”

Prep turned up the heat once more as time wound down in regulation.

Remedios tallied his first goal of the game at the 9:07 mark courtesy of a Jacob Rusak assist. Ethan Borick made it 4-0 thanks to Nguyen’s second dime. Dante Palazzari closed things out via an unassisted goal with 5:41 left, bringing the final score to 5-0.

Prep outshot the Hornets by a margin of 21-6 and enjoyed a 6-4 edge in corners.

On-field leaders

In addition to Eisele and Chesna, Honesdale also received key contributions from Bresset, Ohliger, Pons and Taraschuk.

All are seniors and each is serving as a team captain for the 2023 campaign.

Bresset is a battle-tested midfielder who boasts an excellent blue collar work ethic. He got his start playing soccer in the YMCA youth leagues.

“Gavin played well for us this season,” said Coach Eisele. “He’s always the first one on the field at practice and the last one off.”

Ohliger is a hard-nosed defender who’s been playing organized soccer for 10 years. He’s also a member of the Honesdale Soccer Club and Next Level Soccer of NEPA.

“Avery is a very tough defender who always gives his all on the field,” said Coach Eisele. “He isn’t the smoothest out there, but he never fails to get the job done.”

Pons is a three-year member of the varsity team who’s been playing organized soccer for more than a decade. He also excels on the wrestling mat.

“You can just see how much Julian loves the game,” Coach Eisele said. “He has a lot of enthusiasm and is the vocal leader of our defensive line.”

Taraschuk is the definition of a multi-sport standout. In addition to soccer, he’s played key roles on the varsity basketball, cross country and track teams.

“Joey is without a doubt one of the fastest players in the league,” Coach Eisele said. “He creates all kinds of scoring opportunities with his speed and provides calm leadership on the field.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale faces Scranton Prep in Senior Night soccer showdown