Varsity Boy's Soccer: Middletown Finds Spot As a Hot Ticket

By Ben Spector Winning After MidKnight

 

The Middletown High School Athletics scene has always been crowded. In a small community like the Middletown-Myersville community and with so many sports teams that are successful it has always seemed like some teams get lost in the shuffle as some sports do.

This used to be the situation for the Middletown High School Knights Varsity Boy’s Soccer team. With football being the boy’s sport that garnered most of the spotlight during the fall sports season and in the middle of a string of good but not great finishes, Middletown did not have the same spotlight shining on them that other teams did. That’s not to say that the Middletown fans treated the Knights badly or that Middletown was playing poorly, it’s just tough to share a spotlight when that spotlight already had two state champions in it.

But, that was then and this is know and at this moment the Varsity Boy’s Soccer team is one of the talks of the town after winning a state championship last year and having seen a large degree of success since then.

It’s funny what winning a state championship will do for a program.

It’s been only good things for the Knights since then and they’ll look to continue that magical carpet ride when they take on the North Hagerstown High School Hubs from the Hub City on Tuesday September 13^th.

When the Girl’s Soccer and Football teams were winning state championships from 2010-2013 there was an undeniable buzz surrounding the programs as every time they stepped on the field all eyes were focused on them.

Now that same buzz that was felt back then is being  felt today as the every time the Varsity Boy’s Soccer team plays there seems to be an extra jolt of energy in the crowd that just happens to carry the Knights around.

Middletown has backed up that increased buzz with excellent play as Middletown comes into this game with a 2-0 record during the regular season and two more wins amassed during the Sheffler-Ford Tournament, putting their record at 4-0 overall.

Not only has Middletown been winning games but they’ve been also playing games the way they want them to be played, as the offensive and aggressive style that Middletown has put in place which has helped them to three straight blowout wins and then the first close game of the year, a one goal victory over Eastern Tech.

Compared to the past, lots about this team has changed from a statistical perspective as the Knights attendance isn’t the only thing that has increased exponentially as Middletown’s offense has blown in up this year.

Through four games last year Middletown had scored ten goals and given up two goals but this should come with a disclaimer as the Knights beat North Hagerstown 7-1 to amass most of that total. Against the four teams that the Knights have played this year, the Knights had only scored five goals and given up two.

This year Middletown has scored fourteen goals and has given up two through the first four games as the Knights have replaced all the offensive weapons that they lost after last year with new offensive weapons and are better than ever.

The fast-paced offensive style of play that Middletown plays also caters well to the new crowds there bringing in as it is most certainly more fun watching the Knights beat Governor Thomas Johnson, 5-2 and run up and down the field with conviction and pace compared to watching a 1-0 or 2-1 win with not a lot of action around the goals.

Through it all, Middletown with success from a potent offense has found a niche in the crowded Middletown Athletics scene and is reaping the benefits.