Somers soccer suffers four-game losing streak

By Rob DiAntonio
Of The Somers Record

After a strong start to the season, the Somers’ varsity boys’ soccer team suffered a pair of 1-0 losses to Arlington and Roy C. Ketcham.

The setback against Arlington on Sept. 28 was the Tuskers’ third straight loss. Senior captain and goaltender Ryan Nealon made eight saves.

“We have had a few mental lapses defensively that have cost us in the past three games,” Somers coach James Palumbo said. “Offensively we need to create better chances as a team rather than finding one person to create on their own.”




Going up against a squad like Arlington, the defending Class AA state champion, was a positive experience for the Tuskers.

“Playing a team like Arlington was a great experience for the team,” Nealon said. “We went out there and gave it all we had. We knew we had nothing to lose going into that match and as coach says: ‘Every game is a battle and we have to fight to the end.’ We really proved to ourselves that when we put ourselves to the task we can stick with anybody and we can give anybody a run for their money. It makes the team better by showing them that even if they are all hyped up by everyone they are still only kids our age playing soccer, and they’re nothing to be intimidated by.”

Somers (3-4) fell to Ketcham on a goal on a corner kick on Sept. 26. Nealon stopped six shots.

The Tuskers’ losing streak reached four games in a 2-1 loss to Carmel on Sept. 30.

Nealon feels that the team learned plenty from the four-game losing streak.

“They have come to the realization that when we have a real challenge in front of us we need to prove that we are the better team on the scoreboard,” Nealon said. “A couple of the games we dominated the first half but didn’t get any results, and then didn’t come out with the same intensity in the second half. We have definitely learned a lot from these last few games. We will be getting back on track.”