Joining a new team can be a nerve-racking situation for any high school athlete. But Matthew Liss and Shane Clancy are taking things in stride and making the best of a hectic year.
The two juniors who transferred to Saint Augustine Preparatory School in Richland this summer have added some pop to the Hermits’ already impressive soccer roster. And they’ve looked really comfortable doing it.
“We have a really nice group of guys and these two guys fit right in,” said Saint Augustine boys soccer coach Jake Heaton. “They have good personalities and are very popular with the guys and they fit right in with the style of play that we’re trying to do.”
So far, so good.
Saint Augustine was undefeated through its first seven games (6-0-1) through Oct. 25, which included a 1-0 victory over highly-touted South Jersey power Egg Harbor Township. The Hermits look every bit as dangerous as the team that racked up 19 wins before finishing runner-up in the Non Public A State Championship last year.
Liss and Clancy have been big contributors since being inserted into the lineup. And it didn’t take long to make friends among an already tight-knit group.
“We bond really well on and off the field,” Liss said. “We text each other and hang out. We train hard, probably two hours a day and the older guys really welcomed us in.”
The early jitters were gone pretty quickly for Clancy as well.
“It was a little nerve-racking at first,” Clancy said. “I knew a few of the guys already. I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be. It’s just soccer. You go out and play every day.”
Liss spent his first two years of high school at Washington Township and won a Group 4 State Championship during his freshman year. The Minutemen went 25-1 that season with their only loss coming to — you guessed it — Saint Augustine.
“We played them in the (South Jersey) Coaches Cup final my freshman year,” said Liss, who scored 12 goals at Washington Township. “We lost to them, unfortunately, but it was a great game and they were a fun team to play against.”
Now he plays with them. Liss had scored three goals in his first seven games with his new team through last weekend. Clancy has done the same after transferring from Timber Creek High School over the summer. Clancy, who plays on the back line but becomes a target on offensive corners and direct kicks because of his towering height, scored four goals with the Chargers in two years but didn’t experience much team success as Timber Creek was a combined 6-25-5 during those two campaigns. He’s enjoying the early rewards with the Hermits.
“It’s been very welcoming,” Clancy said. “The whole coaching staff and everyone on the team is great. There’s great talent overall.”
The Hermits are mostly junior-heavy, but have a trio of seniors captains that are relied upon heavily in midfielder Mike Balestriere, who scored the last-second winner against Egg Harbor Township on Oct. 24; left back Declan Davis and goalkeeper Gavin Brown.
“They’re just really quality players and really good teammates,” Heaton said. “It was a unanimous decision that those three guys would be our captains. They’re obviously good players but more than that, they are great leaders and good guys. They take care of everybody on the squad and do a nice job.”
Liss and Clancy are looking forward to college recruiting as neither has committed to a college just yet. They said playing for Saint Augustine has certainly helped along the process.
“It’s awesome,” Liss said. “They help us with a lot of stuff and record all the games to make highlight films. Our coach knows a lot of guys and they’re doing everything they can to help us play in the future.”
The Hermits are uncertain what exactly the playoffs will look like, as normal formats have shifted greatly in the age of COVID-19. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is still hoping to have a state tournament in November. But things could also change on a dime.
The Hermits will be ready, if given the chance.
“It’s nuts,” Heaton said. “At any point you feel like it could be taken away from you. The preparation at the start of the summer was changing all the time. We seem to have gotten to a good rhythm now and gotten back to normal. The guys adjusted really well and the school has done a phenomenal job as they opened the first day of the school year.”
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