Edgemont Boys Soccer Ready for Big Season

Last year the Edgemont boys soccer team went 11 straight games without allowing a goal. That streak carried the Panthers all the way to the sectional finals.

Coach Mike Cozza doesn't know if this year's team is capable of putting together another month-long string of shutouts, but it is talented enough to make it back to the championship game.

"I like what I see," Cozza said after the team began practicing earlier this week. "We have a lot of veterans coming back. I don't think that (shutout streak) will happen again, but the possibility of winning is there and we can go on another run."

Three-year starting goalie Ben Gottesdiener and leading scorer Justin Orden have graduated, but the Panthers return 12 players, including six starters.

Three-fourths of that imposing defensive line is back — sweeper Jacob Nussbaum, stopper Kylie Spinks and junior Matt Browne, who is expected to mark the opponent's top forward.

At midfield, Jeff Lee started last year on the outside and Jack Young earned a lot of playing time in the center.

"(Lee and Young) are confident with the ball," Cozza said. "They don't panic under pressure and they're always looking up, trying to get the ball to our forwards."

But in order to make it back to the finals, Edgemont will need to replace the scoring of Orden, a five-year player who accounted for 34 of the Panthers' 58 goals last season.

Four-year starter Jason Adler is expected to pick up some of the slack. The senior has great ball skills, sees the field well and has a powerful left-footed shot. Fellow senior Spencer Hoddeson provides another strong lefty shot, and junior Alex Miller, who was called up at the end of last season, will also be a key forward.

Drew Turchin, who played defense last year but had a strong offseason as an offensive player, will also be moved up to solidify the scoring line.

The new keeper could be Marc Rappe, who was a forward last year but started in net on the JV level two years ago.

The Panthers will open the season against Class AA power Scarsdale, which Cozza thought was a positive. He said that early-season games last year against big schools White Plains, Mamaroneck and New Rochelle prepared his team for its late-season charge.

Unlike last year, when Edgemont came in favorites, Bronxville and Albertus Magnus are among the most talked-about teams this year, which puts Cozza in a preferable position.

"We like to be under the radar," said Cozza, who is entering his ninth season. "A lot of teams think we're going to be down this year, which is great for us. Let them think that."