Ron Dunlevy was pleased.
Bishop Brossart’s third-year boys soccer coach was happy because the defending 10th Region champion Mustangs are off to a 3-0-1 start despite having only four returning seniors from last year’s 17-5-5 squad.
“I’m actually kind of pleased after four matches,” Dunlevy said. “We’ve held our own, especially given we had 10 seniors graduate last year. A lot of different areas of the field were gutted.”
Kyle Piscitello had a goal and an assist in Tuesday’s 2-1 home win over George Rogers Clark. Alex Runge scored on a penalty kick, and Ben D’Alessandro assisted on Piscitello’s score.
Dunlevy doesn’t think there’s a drop-off in talent despite having 10 juniors, seven sophomores and two freshmen.
“A lot of these players. I’ve had ‘em for at least two years,” Dunlevy said. “A lot of the players that we have right now in our starting varsity lineup, I had an eye on them last year; I made sure they got some game time, got acclimated to varsity play.”
Sophomore Luke Neltner and juniors Sam Chirumbolo and Luke D’Alessandro (Ben’s brother) look plenty comfortable so far. Neltner has three goals, including both tallies in Saturday’s 2-2 tie at St. Henry, Chirumbolo has two scores, and D’Alessandro has 20 saves and just five goals allowed.
“I feel like we’re battling for every win, and I feel like we’re pulling away, and I just know we’re gonna get better along the way, and we’re a great team,” Chirumbolo said after Tuesday’s win.
Dunlevy said Neltner’s second goal against St. Henry, from just inside the 18-yard box in the 36th minute, “honestly, was a goal that I’ve been waiting for him to score the entire year.”
“He hit as hard and as low as he possibly could,” Dunlevy said. “He’s been hitting those kind of things in training forever. I’m hoping the lock’s off the cage for Luke.”
Neltner said teammate Adam Tarvin set him up.
“I called for a drop,” Neltner said. “Once he dropped it to me, I took one touch and I pinged it in the corner of the net. That was kind of an eye-opener for me; it gave me a lot of confidence to take those a lot more ‘cause I do practice them.”
Chirumbolo and Neltner scored in Brossart’s 2-1 win Aug. 13 at Grant County. Caleb Heeg and Alex Runge had the assists, and Luke D’Alessandro made three saves.
“Sam Chirumbolo, I can put almost anywhere on the field,” Dunlevy said. “He can’t really give more than 100%, but if he could, you’d have Sam Chirumbolo.”
Something else makes Dunlevy joyful: seven Mustangs – Ben D’Alessandro, Heeg, Runge, Tarvin, Piscitello, Ben Sweeney and Andrew Lusby each have one of Brossart’s eight assists. Heeg has two.
“If you can spread those kind of things out and make it so the other team doesn’t focus on one person, it makes the game easier for the players because (opponents) can’t man-mark or overload one player, for instance, and try to take him out of the game,” Dunlevy said.
Ben D’Alessandro and Chirumbolo scored in Brossart’s 2-1 win Aug. 15 at Dixie Heights. Luke D’Alessandro had five saves against the Colonels and seven against St. Henry.
Brossart’s backline defense is a work in progress. Lusby and junior Carson Hesse are the center backs, with Piscitello and senior Luke Alwell on the wings.
“Fluid” has been a good way to describe Dunlevy’s philosophy on defense – you might see a traditional 4-3-3 (four defenders, three midfielders, three attackers), a 4-4-2, a 5-3-2, a 4-2-3-1 with its six defenders or something else.
Next for Brossart: a trip to Cooper at 8 p.m. Thursday. Dunlevy believes the Mustangs have time to be a better team.
“Do I think we’re there? I don’t,” Dunlevy said. “I think that’s the beauty of the season. We’ve got another month and two weeks to figure it all out – which is great in my opinion.”