Two years ago, the Holy Spirit High School boys soccer program was rebuilding after the COVID-19 pandemic and low player turnout. In its first year back as a varsity program in 2023, the Spartans endured a rough season. But it was one that brought maturity and growth.
Last year, the team picked up five wins under new coach Matt Custer, who has 30 years of coaching experience in both the youth and high school levels. The momentum started building.
“There’s more excitement, but there’s also more capability,” Custer said. “We’re beginning to attract players who have played soccer on club teams, and that is a big difference.”
Although Daniel Smith had never played soccer before, he decided to trade in his football helmet for soccer cleats after his freshman year and become part of the solution. He joined the program two years ago as a sophomore and paid his dues through an 0-16 season.
“People don’t know how good winning those five games was last year,” said Smith, who also swims and plays baseball at Holy Spirit. “And this season, we keep recruiting better players.”
Smith was able to recruit his good friend and baseball teammate John Mullen, a tall and lanky pitcher whose athleticism almost seamlessly transitioned to goaltending on the soccer pitch.
“He had never played before,” Smith said. “He’s one of the best baseball pitchers in the school. I’ve been trying to recruit him for three years, and he finally came out for senior season.”
The Holy Spirit hallways are filled with enthusiastic kids who helped field a team. But getting to the next level requires some skill and experience at key positions. The Spartans’ fortunes improved when sophomore Jayden Kurtz chose Holy Spirit after completing eighth grade. Kurtz, a player with lots of club experience, was excited to help the rebuild.
“This year, we have an even better record, and we’re not even halfway through the season,” said Kurtz, a 6-foot-4 midfielder.
He’s right. The Spartans were 5-4-1 through September and are beginning to earn serious respect around the Cape-Atlantic League.
“Vibes are definitely up,” Smith said.
There will be good days and bad days ahead, as the Spartans have suffered their fair share of injuries on an already thin roster. But Custer’s staff is built with stability, as he is helped by assistant coaches Jon Paul Jones, who previously coached Oakcrest and St. Joseph’s Academy; Rip Nouragas, who has more than 10 years coaching youth soccer; and Chase Rubenstein, who recorded more than 400 saves before graduating from Holy Spirit last year.
If October is anything like September, more wins will follow. But sometimes that’s not the most important part of successfully building a program.
“You go out there and try to have fun, even if you’re not winning,” Smith said. “You learn to love the game of soccer for what it is.”
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