When Prince Kemmerlin announced he was stepping down as Milford soccer coach last November, the search was on for his replacement. Luckily for the Bucs, former coach Todd French tossed his hat in the ring. A coach with a history of winning, French inherited a team with quite a few seniors and a large group of underclassmen. With French having different strategies than Kemmerlin, there was bound to be rough spots. Unfortunately for Milford the beginning of the schedule was stacked with quality opponents. Due to the confluence of events, Milford found themselves off to an 0-5 start to the season.
“It wasn’t easy, and it never really does get easy. However, slowly we started to develop our identity, and our confidence began to grow. I think we are at a point where we are all on the same page, I believe that bodes well for the rest of the season.” French stated.
Following the 0-5 start, Milford has gone 3-1, with the latest victory coming this past Thursday against Delmar as Milford would score a 1-0 victory. The game’s only goal would come early in the contest as senior James Sollie would find twine in the games 15th minute. For the rest of the game Milford would apply pressure, but just couldn’t score. More importantly, every time the defense was called on, they stood tall with solid back-line play.
“Tonight was a real team effort. We were a complete unit out there, that is what we have we been looking for.” French said.
With Milford controlling the pace of play a win seemed to be inevitable for Milford. However, a one goal advantage is just one shot away from an equalizing goal. No matter what, the defense had to perform and that included the keeper, junior Brayden Weddle who had four saves on the night and was key to keeping the Milford defensive line stable.
“Brayden is not just a keeper, he is a leader. He makes sure players know what’s going on and communicates well with them. The defense is really settled with him in the game, and it really showed tonight.”
Speaking with Sollie about his goal, he echoed the sentiment that all the work the team has been putting in lead to goal off a brilliant service from sophomore Geronimo Luevanos Regalado.
“We have been getting close and he put the ball exactly where it needed to be, just like we have been practicing. All I had to do was finish it, which I was able to do. More importantly, even with the poor start to the season, the entire team has held their heads up. We know it’s not easy, but everyone is staying very positive which is fantastic.”
One of the problems early in the season was a lack of scoring for Milford. In response, Sollie was moved from defensive midfield to forward. a result of French realizing something had to change.
“When you move an All-Conference player on defense and ask him to become a goal scorer, it’s not as easy a transition as it sounds. James is a senior captain who has stepped up to the challenge, along with a lot of players on the team and as a result we are able to get other players in a better position to succeed. This is the ultimate team game and sometimes it takes a while to understand your own strengths and weaknesses, but we are getting there. I believe we are going to continue to improve as the season continues.” French concluded.
