Honesdale boys soccer team building for a successful future

HONESDALE — Eric Eisele has been a fixture on the local high school soccer scene for the better part of three decades.

He began his coaching career at Honesdale as the girls varsity skipper, a position he held for more than 20 years before stepping down to spend more time with his family.

This fall marked the third season since Eisele took over as head coach of the boys varsity team. The Hornets struggled a bit in 2023, going 0-13-1 in the always rugged Lackawanna League Division I.

However, things are off to a more promising start in 2024 as the Red & Black showed flashes of brilliance during two scrimmages against East Stroudsburg South and Mountain View.

“I really like where we're at right now,” Eisele said before the start of Tuesday's home match versus longtime rival Western Wayne.

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“We have 13 juniors and seniors, so there's a bunch of kids who already have a ton of varsity experience. They work hard, they have good soccer skills and their desire to win is really evident every time they step onto the field.”

Those traits have led to early success. The Hornets pitched a pair of shutouts during the preseason, blanking Mountain View 3-0 and ESS 1-0.

Next up for Honesdale is a trip to Paupack this weekend to play in that school's annual Labor Day tournament. Action gets underway at 10 a.m. Friday.

Veteran leadership

Rylan Montgomery, Ryan Brescia, Delimar Hugg, Luke Murray and Mason D'Albora will serve as Honesdale's captains this fall. All are seniors and each brings an unique skill set to the pitch.

Montgomery is a multi-sport standout who's also kicking for the varsity football team. He plays on the front line and is eager to make a big impact this year after missing significant time as a junior with an injury.

“Ryan is a big kid who just isn't going to be pushed around by anyone,” Eisele said. “He's a good kid and a vocal leader who always plays to win.”

Brescia is a bona fide threat to score either as a striker or a midfielder. He's a fiery, intense player and Honesdale's emotional leader on and off the pitch.

“One of the things I like best about Ryan is that intensity,” Eisele said. “He just wants to win at all costs, no matter what. Ryan is very tough and will battle every single second he's on the field.”

Hugg is a striker who possesses quickness and top-end speed. He is a big play waiting to happen and an ever-evolving team leader.

“Delimar is one of the most gifted natural athletes we have,” Eisele said. “He has excellent soccer skills. Delimar can really score, but he passes the ball extremely well, too.”

Murray anchors Honesdale's back line at the middle defender position. He took a couple of years off from soccer, but is now back and providing solid senior leadership.

“Luke is a very intelligent player and a really hard worker,” Eisele said. “He always gives 100% effort at practice and during games.”

D'Albora also plays a key role on Honesdale's back line. He's a rare hybrid type of player who can rally the defense, but also cross midfield and ignite an offensive attack.

“Mason is an interesting kid,” Eisele said. “Even though he's a defender, he is a threat to bring the ball up the field. Mason will make a key pass and even get off a quality shot or two every game.”

Hard lessons learned

On the heels of two preseason shutouts, Honesdale put out the proverbial welcome mat for Western Wayne on Tuesday in its league opener.

Unfortunately for Hornet fans, the Wildcats unleashed a relentless offensive assault right from the opening whistle. The results were a 6-1 halftime deficit and an eventual 7-2 setback for the home team.

“There are a couple of things that we can learn from this loss moving forward,” Eisele said. “We have to play more as a team and we need to work hard even when we get down by a couple goals.”

Western Wayne was paced by the potent 1-2 punch of senior co-captains Mikey Durso and Timmy Roberts. Durso erupted for four goals, while Roberts tallied a hat trick and handed out one assist.

Honesdale was led by Luke Murray and Joey Tickner.

Murray scored the Hornets' first goal unassisted late in the opening half. Tickner closed things out by tallying off a Braden Laity assist 10 minutes into the second half.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale boys soccer team building for a successful future