A GAME TWO DECADES IN THE MAKING
By Gregory J. Lamoureux
County Courier
Friday evening’s game between two of the best Division III and IV Boys Varsity Soccer teams in the state was no doubt a test for the players as they looked for their last win before playoff pairings would be announced on Monday, but for the coaches, the game was even more special.
It began in 1997 when Enosburg Head Coach Randy Swainbank accepted the job to lead the Hornets’ Boys’ program. Little did he know, that knowledge and passion he was sharing with one of those players would lead him to a dream game more than two decades later.
That year, Josh Souza was a senior at Enosburg Falls High School and although he played soccer, baseball was where his heart was at the time, that is until his senior year when Swainbank took the helm of the Enosburg program.
Souza would help at his family’s Enosburg Falls business, the Flower Patch, before jumping off to practice under his new coach. That’s where Souza’s true love for the sport began to shine that year and it hasn’t stopped since.
Souza credits the passion he has of soccer to the inspiration he had with Swainbank, but Swainbank recalls it a little differently.
“I only had him one year,” Swainbank said, “but when I got there, he was just one of those captains who played his heart out. You could hear that same passion [from Souza] on the sideline today.”
Souza graduated from Enosburg and continued his sports endeavors at Castleton State College, now Castelton University, where he began as a two-sport athlete- baseball and soccer.
The love of soccer that began to blossom in Souza that last year of high school never went away, and the mentorship between Souza and Swainbank only flourished.
Fast forward to five years ago, when Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Rutland wanted to restart their soccer program after about a decade on hiatus, Souza was in for the challenge. He joined the coaching staff as an assistant, but two years later, his training wheels came off.
The head coach left the program that was now restarted, but so did eleven players that had donned the MSJ jerseys the year before.
The program was starting from the bottom.
“I wondered if I really wanted to do this,” Souza recalled in an interview with the County Courier after Friday’s game.
Souza would continue- teaching the fundamentals, and likely some of the same passion he gained while playing under Swainbank two decades prior.
By now, Swainbank’s son, Noah, would join the ranks at Castelton University, just down Route 4 from Souza’s high school team. As Swainbank traveled to countless games to watch his son play, Souza was in tow. The coaching pair would cheer on Noah and the Castelton squad, and in doing so studied the game even more.
The following year, the MSJ team battled masks, as did the rest of the world during the height of the pandemic, but they were just happy to play.
“It was a weird year,” Souza said about his 2020 season but noted that it was a growing year for the students.
This year, the school had fewer players than what would typically be needed to field a full team, so they coordinated with Mill River to make a coop team and quality team it is. The MSJ team has the best record of all the Division 4 teams this year and tops the standings for their division as well.
It was during one of those Castelton games that the idea of matching Enosburg and MSJ was born, however scheduling is not that easy. Last year’s pandemic restrained season left that idea a pipe dream for the pair. That changed this year, after canceling a game where Enosburg was set to host Winooski.
“We called each other up and said, ‘Let’s make this happen,’” Souza said.
It turned out that both teams are on an upswing, having one of their best seasons on record.
MSJ had yet to lose and had racked up a combined 72 goals to date. That, while only allowing 16 into their own net.
“We needed this,” Souza said, “We needed to be pushed.”
Pushed they were, as the Hornets came out swinging, picking up two goals by the half, and controlling almost all the 50/50 balls.
Levi Webb would tally one of those first half goals with a penalty kick about 25 yards out, and a second goal being added by Danny Antillon, who was assisted by Webb on the play.
The second half was little different, although MSJ was beginning to get their feet under themselves better against such a formidable opponent. Taking advantage of a great cross- their sole goal of the half was rendered next to useless when a penalty in the box lead to a free kick for Enosburg.
Levi Webb would find the lower left corner, to propel Enosburg to the 3-1 win over the Mounties.
Swainbank was pleased with the way his players tackled the ball and played hard but noted that they have a challenging set of opponents going into the Division III playoffs this week.
“There are a lot of good teams in DIII this year,” Swainbank noted, “but this launched us in the right direction.”
Souza was all smiles, even after taking the team’s only loss of the season. Not only had he just matched up against his longtime mentor, but he knew that the challenges that Enosburg threw at the MSJ team on the pitch would set them up well for a postseason.
Swainbank was more optimistic about MSJ’s future, “They are probably the team to beat in DIV this year.”
However the season ends for either of these two teams, a connection was made on Abatiell Field in Rutland on Friday, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if this matchup becomes an annual event.
You can view a full photo gallery from Friday’s game here.
