Hoosac School Defends Title as Northeast Prep Soccer League Title

Hoosac School blanks South Kent to capture another prep soccer championship

Hoosac School (N.Y.) defended its spring league title with a 1-0 victory over South Kent School (Conn.). | Hoosac School

Hoosac School (N.Y.) added yet another trophy to the case Wednesday, edging South Kent School (Conn.), 1-0, in the Northeast Prep Soccer League spring final played at Hoosac School.

The NPSL Offers Year-Round Training And Competition

The Northeast Prep Soccer League is a spring league for prep programs that offer year-round soccer programs. South Kent School entered the match undefeated this past spring, but Hoosac has been riding a hot streak. The New York school won last year's NPSL spring title, then stunned national No. 1 Woodstock Academy (Conn.) to claim the Prep Premier League title in the fall, and now added this third title in the past year.

Serbian Star Vukasin Ivanovic Netted the Lone Goal

Vukasin Ivanovic, a native of Serbia, scored the lone goal about 18 minutes into the match. Vicente Silva, a native of Portugal who has signed with NCAA Division I IU Indianapolis, recorded the shutout in goal.

Canadian Defender Lynghton Romage Was the Star Defender

The star of the match for Hoosac was defender Lynghton Romage, a Canadian who has signed with North Georgia. The 6-foot-4 defender won everything in the air and dominated in 1v1 situations. Hoosac's director of soccer Paulo Franco said that was the best he's ever seen Romage play. Midfielder Antony Alexis, a Florida Gulf Coast signee who is from Canada, also delivered a strong performance for Hoosac. His speed and strength caused problems for South Kent's defense.

Thibodeau's Key Saves Also Paved the Way to Victory

Goalkeeper Mathieu Thibodeau, a junior from Canada, made two strong saves in key moments to keep South Kent School in the match. Alvaro Escudero, a junior center back from Spain, also played a strong match for South Kent, winning headers and making tackles.

Hoosac and South Kent played to a 1-1 draw during the spring regular season. At the end of the campaign, with the playoff seedings already set, Hoosac forfeited a scheduled match at South Kent.

The championship match can be viewed at Hoosac Soccer on YouTube.

Hoosac Is a Soccer Community

The midday contest was played before a supportive crowd that had bought into Hoosac's newfound soccer identity. The school has only 250 students, but 60 of them compete in the soccer program.

"When I came to Hoosac, we made the soccer program more professional," Francos said. "Now, the whole school supports us. The school stops to watch us. We are a huge beast in our community."

Hoosac School finished No. 3 in the National Prep Top 20 rankings last season and again will be projected among the nation's top prep teams in the fall.