State Soccer Tournament Games Today at Snyder Park

(This story written by GL dad Jeff Bamundo)

It looks like the state soccer tournament will finally get underway.

The girls' game against North Plainfield is now set for Thursday at 2 p.m., while the boys' match vs. Middlesex will be played at 4 p.m. both at Snyder Ave. Park.

But it hasn't been for a lack of trying. The Governor Livingston Girls and Boys Soccer teams are used to pulling for one another. But the past few days, they found themselves pushing for and alongside one another.

And they were all pushing a lot of the same white stuff.

GL's athletic director, Steve Hopkins, and coaches Bruno Somma and Mike Roof, decided to do whatever they could to increase the chances of playing their first round state games in their respective State Tournaments with a well-earned home field advantage.

But anyone who ventured up to the high school on Sunday could see that the possibility was a pretty remote one.

The field was buried in snow.  The upper path from the parking lot down to the field was covered with as many downed branches as the roads leading up to the school itself.

And these latter two meant that there was really very little chance of GL's opponents making their way to the field -- or out onto it.

And then an idea. 

Why not clear the more easily accessible Snyder Avenue Park turf field for both teams to play on. But the big question was "how?"

Well, the word went out -- to both Varsity teams – via email and text and twitter accounts:  Bring your shovels, teammates and friends and come to Snyder at 1 p.m. on Monday to help clear the field for Tuesday's games!  So with the best of intentions and high hopes, the players started pushing snow off the field.

And then reality set in.

Despite their best efforts, there was just too much heavy, wet snow on too big a surface to get the field in playing condition.

And then GL caught a break when they were told that County workers were going to make their way to Snyder with a plow or two and finish the job that the teams had started.

But with schools closed, wide power outages and a townwide cleanup still going on. it was decided the games would again be postponed.

But as proven the past few days, if teamwork wins games, these talented high school athletes will have a great run in the states.

And I'm sure they will be in their more familiar roles of "pulling" for one another during both matches.