Mooch Senior Games to take place at Veterans Park next Sunday

With cold weather and Thanksgiving closing in fast, the end of the high school soccer season cannot be far behind.

Before everyone moves indoors, local soccer fans will get another chance to see some of Mercer County’s top girls and boys soccer talent play once more prior to their graduation when the Glen “Mooch” Myernick Senior Games are held Sunday, Nov. 18.

The games will have a new host site this season, switching to Al Cowell Field in Hamilton’s Veterans Park, with the girls playing at 1 p.m. and the boys at 3 p.m.

The event honors the memory of Myernick, who grew up playing soccer in Lawrence and went on to earn national and international fame, before dying suddenly in 2006.

He became known locally while in high school when he earned All-America status while leading three Cardinals teams to state championships under head coach Lou Angebranndt.

Myernick then played one season at Mercer County Community College before moving on to Hartwick College, which he led to the NCAA Final Four in 1976, winning the Hermann Trophy along the way as Player of the Year in U.S. college soccer. He played on the U.S. Olympic team and was the No. 1 draft pick for the North American Pro Soccer League, in which he played for nine seasons.

Later, Myernick rose through the coaching ranks until becoming an assistant with the U.S. men’s soccer team at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He was chosen to the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2015.

The Mooch Senior Games are free to the public and feature some of the top senior players from schools throughout Mercer County. Player names will be announced later this week.

The teams, coached by members of the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame, are divided into White and Red squads to commemorate Myernick’s school colors at Lawrence High.

The referees for the matches donate their time in hopes that all might enjoy one more fun day of soccer before the 2018 season comes to a close.