Elmira District Boys Soccer

8:57 PM, Sep 10, 2013 by Joe Mink

Elmira and Corning shared the Southern Tier Athletic Conference West boys soccer title a year ago.

Each team is now trying to secure the crown for themselves, though Horseheads might also have a say in that.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame will try to maintain the high standards it set last season when it went 15-3, claimed the Interscholastic Athletic Conference Large School South championship, reached the Section 4 Class D title game and ended up ranked seventh in the state in Class D.

Elmira, which produced a 9-6-1 record, will find it hard to replace the 29 goals Alex Varkatzas scored in 2012. Now at Division I Binghamton University, Varkatzas accumulated 64 career goals.

“The 2013 Express team should be a bit more balanced, with potential scorers on multiple layers on the field,” Express coach Derek Hamilton said. “Playing as a cohesive unit will be key as goals should be spread out more this season. We have a fairly young squad that will be asked to mature quickly.”

Elmira will rely on an experienced midfield led by All-STAC West picks Curtis Grant, Caleb Johnson and Kyle Johnson.

Grant, a senior and two-time STAC West all-star, led the team with 10 assists last season to go with his three goals.

Caleb Johnson, also a senior, played centerback last year. Hamilton said he made the move to provide more leadership from midfield.

Kyle Johnson, a junior, had two goals and five assists last season.

Hamilton also looks to senior defenseman Joey Nugent and junior midfielder Tyler Prunoske for big contributions.

Steve Mastronardi was head boys soccer coach at Southside and later Hamilton’s assistant coach at Elmira Free Academy before taking the Corning job last season. He led the Hawks to an 11-6-2 record and expects similar success in his second year at the helm.

“I believe our team will be solid,” Mastronardi said. “Our focus is on defense and transition in our attack, as we have a wealth of experience in the midfield.”

The key seniors are midfielder Noah Coons, defender Kevin Furness and goalie Alex Goforth.

Also looking to make an impression in STAC:

Horseheads: Mark Mucci enters his second year as Blue Raiders coach after a 3-11 debut.

“We were competitive in most games but just couldn’t finish when we needed to. We were a very young team last year, with seven sophomores and freshmen making up a third of our roster. Hopefully, having a year of varsity experience helped these players grow,” Mucci said.

He has two All-STAC West picks back in forward Ben Morse, who scored nine goals, and goalie Rhett Seeley.