The Lancaster Mennonite School in Lancaster, PA has quietly become a factor in the national soccer community, recently being recognized on the NSCAA National Poll as one of the top boys soccer programs in the country. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with this fine institution, considering the program’s recent success on the pitch.
Lancaster Mennonite has made it to the PIAA Class AA semi-finals three of the past four years, including a pair of appearances in the finals and a AA state championship in 2011. This is just the “tip of the iceberg” for a program that has consistently developed players for success at the collegiate level.
Five graduates are currently playing for top college programs like nationally ranked D-I side Georgetown University and D-III powerhouse Messiah College. The current high school squad should yield even more talent ready to make that jump to a higher standard of play.
But there is plenty of work left to do this season, especially with a team that is expected to go deep into the postseason tournament.
“They are obviously excited about being considered one of the top programs in the nation, but they also understand that rankings don’t help them win games,” head coach Fred Winey stated.
Winning isn’t exactly an easy thing in soccer-rich Pennsylvania, home to a plethora of high-profile high school programs. Not to mention the fact that the state is home to major clubs from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.
The program has grown and prospered under Winey’s expert tutelage, earning a reputation as a hard-working group that plays the game the right way. And people have noticed.
“The Lancaster Mennonite School community has always shown strong support of all of the school’s extra-curriculum activities and the soccer program is no different,” Winey added. “Our fans travel well and it’s always exciting to play in front of a large group of friends and family. ”
This year fans get to see quite an exciting squad, one led by a quartet of seniors. Forwards David Alejos and Ian Butkhart join midfielder Khup Dal in the attack, while defender Jarred Sands anchors the backline.
All of us at ISN are excited to see what the postseason holds in store for this program, the newest member of the ISN Ultimate XI.
The ISN Ultimate 11 began as an effort to recognize the very best of high school soccer, a side of the game often neglected by the national media. That is certainly no longer the case as ISN leads the way in promoting the game at this level, honoring the young men and women that are the future of the sport.
Promotion of the ISN Ultimate XI will culminate in a major multi-state event in the summer of 2015.
