GUILDERLAND — The Guilderland boys’ soccer team has plenty of holes to fill from last year’s team as the players continue to make strides in the Suburban Council.
"At our scrimmage the other day," said Guilderland Coach Mike Kinnally, "my assistant, Arn Armstrong, and I were counting who saw substantial time last year and that number was two. We lost nine starters. We’re also putting in a new formation and system and we’re starting to see the new club influence from the younger teams. It’s kind of exciting. We’re about to turn the corner. Whether we do that this year, I have no idea."

The only two returning starters are senior Mike Camardo and junior Kyle Tassone.
"Camardo has been with me for three years," Kinnally said. "He is the only player that’s been with me for three years. He is also one of our captains."

Kinnally said that the team will be all right in the middle and front, but it is the back on defense that worries him.
"We have to build the entire back," the coach said. "We lost Bryan Puspurs and Mark Malamood. If I could keep just two kids from last year, we’d be all right. And to make matters worse, Bethlehem, Niskayuna, and Shenendehowa are loaded. They might be the best in the state. And I haven’t talked about Shaker yet.
"But our goal is to win one more game than last year," Kinnally added, "score one more goal than last year, and give up one less goal than last year."

"No stars here"

Kinnally likes the attitude the team has in learning the new system and the way the players work on the field.
"There are no stars here," he said. "That is a nice thing to have. They work very hard. There are no stars so there isn’t any pressure like that."

Kinnally hasn’t even picked a number-one goalkeeper. Senior Barry Kinlan and junior Uriah Myrie have split time in the goal during the pre-season.

The program has had a youth movement as younger players have filled in spots on lower-level teams.
"We have three or four freshmen on the junior varsity," Kinnally said. "We have three 10th-graders on the varsity and we have eight eighth-graders on the freshmen team. We have a lot of young kids, but we are looking good."

Most of the players have competed for the Dutchmen United FC club team that has different age levels.

Kinnally has liked what he’s seen from the team, for the most part.
"The way we’re playing up front, we’re possessing and moving the ball up front," he said. "My concern is in the back."

The Dutchmen have moved into a different division based on last year’s record. Guilderland will be joined by Ballston Spa, Colonie, and Saratoga.
"We play them twice and everyone else once," Kinnally said. "We want to be better the second time we play them."

But Kinnally said that this is a great group of kids that are willing to put in their time to get better.
"This is one of the hardest-working teams I’ve had in the last five years," Kinnally said. "They are blue collar. They are willing to go through a wall for you. They have a great work rate. Their camaraderie is unmatched; this is an unbelievably tight unit...This is a great group to work with. All the teams I’ve coached had great kids but not like this as a unit."

Guilderland opens the season today (Thursday) at Amsterdam, then hosts Mohonasen on Tuesday and plays at Bethlehem next Thursday.