The Springfield Catholic soccer team is on the verge of something special. Advancing to a second state appearance in the past three seasons under head coach Tom Davidson.
“This is a freshman group that I started with here,” Davidson said. “We tried to build a culture and we have.”
To get to the state semifinal this season, Catholic needed to score in the second half of a tied quarterfinal game. The Fightin’ Irish earned a penalty kick with senior Matthew Gerety given his time to shine.
“Man, that was the best moment that really, I want to first of all thank Danny for giving me that PK,” Gerety said. “He’s the one that shot the ball – he was like, I believe in you, Matthew.”
Gerety is one to rise to any challenge. Proving himself as a freshman when he played up against opponents twice his size.
“He was a starter as a freshman and about this big,” Davidson said as he held his hand up to the side of his chest. “He told me the other day he said ‘hey coach I’m taller than you now’ which is true.”
“Being a smaller kid helped me to learn how to play against bigger guys than me and the guys that were faster,” Gerety said. “And it helped me to become more of a smart player and know my skills and where I do my best.”
Gerety grew quite a bit since his freshman year and honed in on his skills, earning first team all state honors. But he credits his teammates and coaches for always believing in him no matter his size.
“We know each other and we trust each other and that’s just been a product of playing with each other for such a long time,” Gerety said.
There will be a whole lot of trust from the Springfield Catholic boys this weekend when the Fightin’ Irish are in just arm’s reach of gold.
