The key for any athlete to being in shape is to make sure you do what you have to do fitness wise before the season starts. That is what the Croton-Harmon Tigers did and it has led to solid second-half play, according to its senior co-captain, center-forward Ben Laub.
“We started two weeks before the beginning of the school year,” Laub said. “We got up at 6 a.m., to go on three-mile runs, complete other fitness tests and work on agilities. Coach (Damion) Brown did a great job in pushing us to get into soccer shape.”
Through four games, staying in soccer shape has led the Tigers to a 2-2 record. The highlight of Tigers’ young season was when they defeated Rye Neck 2-0 in the opening round of the Irvington Tournament on Sept. 18.
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This came after a 2-0 loss at Rye in their first game where Laub said the team was just getting accustomed to a new formation and its new coach.
“Our second game was against Rye Neck and it was our best game of the season so far,” Laub said. “We played really tough, we were really physical. We won a lot of 50-50 balls. We finished, we wanted it more than them.”
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“We knew that their star player Ivan Martinez was out with an injury,” Laub added. “This injury freed us up in the midfield and defense, both of which had very strong games.”
Croton-Harmon then won at Valhalla 2-1 Sept. 19 before falling to visiting Westlake two days later 3-2.
One of the key performers so far for Croton-Harmon has been senior co-captain, center-back Jacob Shapiro. Shapiro plays left back for his club team but the Tigers have converted him to center because he’s their strongest defender and rarely gets beat.
“Jacob is a very solid player,” Laub said. “He wins a ton of 50-50 balls and is always there to get clears.”
Besides being a defensive stud, Shapiro is also an offensive threat because he has an innate ability to win headers, making him dangerous in the box on corners and free kicks, according to Laub.
Laub said that junior left-middie Ryan Clarke has become a stronger player this fall.
“He has improved a lot from last year,” Laub said. “He has great attacking ability; he can make penetrating runs down the left wing, cross the ball and finish."
A big loss for the Tigers was the injury to senior co-captain, center middie Paul Addeo, who suffered a concussion against Westlake. It was unknown how much time he would miss, Laub said.
“Paul is probably our most important player,” Laub said. "He has a monster arm, he makes throw-ins 40 yards from the goal a scoring opportunity and can kick a ball over 50 yards from the ground. Losing him will be one of our toughest things to overcome this season.”
Fortunately for the Tigers, they have Stefano Duce to help pick up the slack while Addeo is out.
“Stefano has been coming in as my substitute as a striker but with Paul’s injury he probably will have a starting job at the center-mid position and one of us will drop back into the midfield,” Laub said. “He has brought a lot of energy off the bench so far. He’s a strong player, who is rising a sophomore. He has scoring ability and will be a key player for us with Paul out.”
What also helps while having Addeo out is having a solid goalie in senior co-captain Robert Simmons, who does a good job of picking up the team in the back of the field according to Laub.
Croton-Harmon’s next game is 4:30 p.m. Tuesday Sept. 27 at home against Pleasantville.
