Beadling U17 boys a U.S. contender again
They come from 16 high schools, and from different areas and classifications. But the players on the Beadling U17 boys soccer team share a valuable commodity — talent.
For the past three years, as a U15 team, a U16 team and now U17, the group has proven to be the top collection of talent in Western Pennsylvania and one of the best in the nation.
The Beadling U17 team is ranked No. 2 nationally by Gotsoccer.com, and has quite a resume. It includes the Region 1 U16 championship last season, a region that includes soccer hotbeds Virginia, Maryland and New York.
Now it will go for two in a row. Beadling will vie for the U17 title in the 2012 US Youth Soccer Region I (East) Championships June 28-July 3 in Lancaster, Pa.
There are 14 WPIAL players on the squad, 12 of them rising seniors: goalie Grant Goldberg (Pine-Richland); defenders Patrick Sullivan (Pine-Richland), Nathan Dearth (Montour), Chris Brasile (Shaler Area), Justin Goodwill (South Fayette), Wesley Burdette (Upper St. Clair), Matt Loughnane (PennTrafford) and Devon Ngyuen (Greensburg Central Catholic); midfielders Dante Piccolo (Quaker Valley) and Michael Pcholinsky (South Park); and forwards Ryan Vilella (Seneca Valley) and Michael Roberge (Franklin Regional).
Two WPIAL players have already graduated from high school, midfielder Jamie Luchini (North Allegheny) and goalie Tyler Miller (Hampton).
Three others are from outside of the area: defender Ben Vruwink (State College), midfielder Justin Krupa (Wilmington) and forward Dom Ramirez (Westmont).
Beadling’s accomplishments are many. They include winning the PA West State Cup Championship the past four years and coasting to 8-0 and 4-0 victories in local club championship games the past two seasons. It also has reached the semifinals of prestigious tournaments, including the Annandale Premier Cup, Bethesda Thanksgiving Tournament and FC Delco Players Cup.
The coach is Dave Kovalcik, who recently announced this will be his last year with the team.
The group wants to send him off a winner, but it will not be easy. Beadling U17 might be the No. 2-ranked team in the nation, but it also will be the second seed at the Region I tournament; rival Manhattan SC Ajax, out of New York, also is in Region I.
“He has personally meant a lot to me,” Luchini said of Kovalcik. “This would mean a heck of a lot to go out with a win.”
Last season, the Beadling U16 team finished second in the country, losing in the national championship game to Manhattan Ajax on penalty kicks.
Beadling has a bunch of college-caliber talent. Recent high school graduates Miller (Robert Morris University) and Luchini (Lehigh University) have committed to colleges, as have rising seniors Vilella (Xavier University), Dearth and Roberge (both Northwestern University).
“Playing for Beadling helps out a ton getting looks by colleges,” Dearth said. “You have a lot of prospects on the team who attract a variety of college coaches.”
Luchini leads the team with 17 goals and 16 assists, and gets ample offensive support from Pcholinsky (14 goals, 9 assists), Roberge (13 goals, 2 assists), Vilella (9 goals, 6 assists) and Piccolo (5 goals, 4 assists).
Beadling will not have to look far for Kovalcik’s successor.
Assistant coach Matt Bahr, a former Steelers placekicker, will take over as head coach next year.
All players, including Luchini and Miller, plan to play for the Beadling U18 team next season. But for now, the focus is on the Region I tournament.
“We came in last year as the underdog team,” Pcholinsky said.
“Now everyone is gunning for us. It is a different feeling going back to repeat. We will just have to deal with it.”