PHS Girls Get 100th Win for Coach Waluszko
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- After the game, there were cupcakes.
It was a fitting way to celebrate Pittsfield girls soccer coach Andy Waluszko's 100th win with the Generals, but it was a poor metaphor for the competition.
Despite the 4-0 final, the Lenox Millionaires were no cupcakes.
"Lenox came out very strong and played us very tough in the first half," Waluszko said. "I thought they moved the ball very well in the first half.
"I don't know if because it was the third game of a three-game week we came out a little sluggish. But to Lenox's credit, they pressed us in the first half."
In the 38th minute of that half, Molly Tierney put back the rebound of an Erin Murphy try from outside the 18 to give Pittsfield (6-0-1) a 1-0 lead.
And in the third minute of the second half, Ilana Albert let fly from 30 yards on a dead run up the middle of the field, and her laser found the back of the net to make it 2-0 and give the home team a little breathing room.
"They were told [at half-time], that it wasn't our best effort in the beginning, even though Lenox came out strong," Waluszko said. "We had a little chat at half-time that they had to come out strong, and they responded."
Tierney scored again on a cross from Lindsey Schnopp, and Hannah Dargie added her third goal of the season with help from Albert to put the icing on the cake ... or the cupcakes, tastefully arranged before the game in the shape of the number 100 in anticipation of Waluszko's milestone.
"I have been very fortunate to have some great players come in who are dedicated during the season and in the off season," he said. "They believe in the system we have in place and work hard to be the best they can be when there on the field. They love to compete and work hard as a team. We also have benefit from a very good youth travel/premier programs, Pittsfield Soccer Club (we established in 2004) and Soccer Domain Academy."
Waluszko's record at Pittsfield improved to 100-28-19 on Tuesday.
"We want to make PHS LG soccer a stepping stone for girls in Berkshire County that want to continue their soccer careers in college," he said. "So far we have been very successful with many former Lady Generals' players in college soccer at all levels (D1, D2, D3, Club). We also help them as much as we can in the process for choosing the right college, fit for them. How to contact the college coaches, going to college games, doing overnights trips to colleges to meet the current players on the roster, etc."
In the near future, Pittsfield will set its sights on the Hoosac Valley Hurricanes, who on Tuesday host the Generals, who get to enjoy a couple of days off for a change.
Lenox (3-3-1) hosts Holyoke Catholic on Monday. The Millionaires will hope to again have the services of starting keeper Shannon Meisberger (11 saves), who turned an ankle in late the second half and was relieved by Taylor Knight.
Lenox coach Kyle Zinchuk said he was pleased with the way his team stood up to the top team in the county and kept it off the board for nearly an entire half.
"The first goal they had was tough, too, and we talked about it: Defensively, we all kind of stood around and watched," Zinchuk said.
"But overall, we had a great effort out there today. We started getting tired at the end. We were missing a couple of girls, so rotation-wise, it was tough to keep everyone fresh out there.
"But overall, I was pleased with it because Pittsfield's a great team. I think we played with them better than the score indicates."