Farmington Boys Soccer a Model of a True Team

Steve Waters has seen just about everything there is to see on a soccer field in his 28 years as the head coach of the boys soccer team.

So for him to rank Farmington's five playoff games during this year's run to the Class LL state championship as the most dramatic and stressful of his decorated 28-year career, they had to be serious affairs.

Of course, most coaches would welcome the stress of winning a state title, and Waters is no different in that regard.

You just can't blame him for wanting a smoother path next time.

In a season full of injuries, constantly shifting lineups, and more roster turnover than most professional teams, Waters might not have always been able to field the most talented team. But, more often than not, he was able to field a winning team, which is a credit to both Waters and the players in all levels of the Farmington High School soccer program.

"They are definitely a team that had resilience and focus from game to game, without question," Waters said. "From a coaching standpoint, you relish that. That's hard to find at the high school level."

Farmington is a school that boasts a long and proud soccer tradition. Collectively between the boys and girls teams, Farmington has appeared in 23 state title games – winning 12 of them – in the last 37 years. The 2010 state championship was the sixth for the boys team under Waters, and ninth overall.

But few teams have had to face the adversity this year's squad did, making this championship all the more improbable.

The Indians made it through their first seven games of the year relatively unscathed, at least injury wise. A 1-0 loss to upstart New Britain at Tunxis Mead Park in the second game of the season raised plenty of eyebrows throughout the state, however.

For years it had been unthinkable to see a soccer power like Farmington lose to a team like New Britain, which finished the previous season with only two wins.
But despite the upset loss, Farmington was still 5-1-1 after its first seven games, a stretch punctuated by a key 2-1 win over CCC West rival Simsbury.

That's when the team's collective health seemed to take a turn for the worst.

Seniors Stephen Manning and Mike Geissler, two key defenders, both missed five games because of injuries. Another defender, senior captain Colin Troxell, missed five games with a concussion.

Junior Julian Rose missed seven games but was able to make his way back come playoff time. Junior Piotr Wilbik was limited to only 20-25 minutes per game by the end of the season.

And this doesn't even include the list of nagging injuries that players had to deal with, forcing Waters to rotate roughly 75 percent of his starting lineup at one point or another over the course.

During a midseason game against Newington, Waters was so short-handed that he was forced to call over a handful of JV players to the varsity sideline.

"It's a credit to the players," Waters said. "Great teams react and adjust to every situation. The way you have to look at it is just to expect the unexpected."

The Indians would have plenty of unexpected contributions along their way to a state title, but they also had a few rocks they could lean on. Most championship teams usually do.

Senior Kevin Michalak led the team with 14 goals and added five assists as the team's primary weapon on offense. Michalak, an honors student who will continue his soccer career at Yale University next fall, routinely came up with key goals throughout the season, including the playoff opener against West Haven. Michalak scored both of Farmington's goals in a 2-1 win.

In the second round, Farmington knocked off Shelton 1-0 behind a goal from junior Dylan Papa, who had just been called up from the JV team prior to the start of the tournament.

Papa scored off an assist from junior Mike Lemnios, who had been Papa's teammate on the JV squad until roughly the midway point of the regular season, when injuries forced Lemnios into duty with the varsity team.

In the quarterfinals it was goalie Austin Peluso's turn to shine. The junior goalkeeper stopped two of the first three penalty shots he faced, allowing senior Mike DiTomasso to clinch a 3-2 win for Farmington on a 3-2 advantage in penalty kicks.

On the season, Peluso finished with seven shutouts and 16 goals allowed.

"As a team, we allowed 16 goals this year, which is a lot for a state championship team," Waters said. "Usually you want to be in that 10 to 12 range. But Austin really played great all year. He was a returning starter and we counted on him, and he came through."

Against Bridgeport Central in the semifinals, Farmington overcame a one-goal lead by scoring twice in the final 15 minutes on strikes by Michalak and sophomore Tyler Hoffman.

But that comeback was only a precursor to the nail-biting victory Farmington would piece together against Staples in the championship game.

The Indians scored 30 minutes in to take a 1-0 lead on a goal by junior Adrian Kukula, which was assisted by Michalak. Staples would tie the game with just over 18 minutes remaining in the game. But Farmington's go-to player would answer right back.

Michalak lifted a right-footed free kick over a wall of Staples defenders into the top left corner of the net, putting Farmington up 2-1.

For the final 12 minutes, the Indians' defense would stand tall, holding Staples to no shots on goal.

"All of [Farmington's championship runs] have been relatively stressful," Waters said. "Every team is different, every tournament is different. But this team had a focus, had a resiliency that is really admirable."

Whether it was Michalak's offensive prowess, senior Connor Stovall's ability to adjust on the fly, or junior Zach Zaback's utilityman mentality, every player had a role and played it perfectly.

And that, more so than an overabundance of talent, will be the lasting legacy of the 2010 Farmington boys soccer team.

"What a great team," Waters said. "We had a cast of guys who all filled in for a number of games. At one point we had more players in street clothes than healthy subs. ... To win the way we did is certainly impressive."