DiStefano, Staples have hat tricks as Hounds roll
JON DYKSTRA/DAILY FORUM
Maryville senior Zach Staples charges up the sideline against Lafayette on Monday at the Hound Pound. Staples finished with three goals and the Spoofhounds beat Lafayette, 9-0, on ‘Senior Night.’
MARYVILLE, Mo. — You can’t draw up a much better result that the Spoofhound soccer team had on ‘Senior Night’ against Lafayette. Maryville routed its opponents, 9-0.
“This team moves forward with our senior leadership,” Spoofhound coach Dale Reuter said. “When we came out for early today for warmups, we all understood and told the boys, today is all about the seniors. This season is all about the seniors. … I’m proud of all of them.
“We are going to start that winning legacy here with this program and you can’t do that without those seniors.”
The win continues a run of success for Maryville High School on their ‘Senior Nights’ after tennis and football each capped last week with dominating wins.
The seniors certainly played big roles in the Hounds win on Monday with Patrick Baker and Lucas Jasinski guiding the defensive effort for a shutout, while Zach Staples picked up a hat trick offensively and Chance Hermelink finished the scoring with a late goal.
“It was really fun,” Staples said. “It was exhilarating with the crowd we had and with all the fans and the team, it was fun.”
It was the underclassman that started the offensive surge, however.
Sophomore Jaden Hayes made an early run and was able to get a ball by the Irish keeper Jordan Johnson for a goal in the opening minutes.
Maryville junior Thomas DiStefano put on a ball-handling clinic moments later before finding a cutting Staples for a goal to put the Spoofhounds in front 2-0.
DiStefano created his own offense later when he blasted by a defender to create a one-on-one situation with Johnson.
The junior forward went top-shelf to beat the keeper and give Maryville a 3-0 lead.
DiStefano and Staples kept the pressure on and each had good strikes at the goal moments later, but Johnson was able to send both back. On Staples’ strike, the ricochet off of Johnson caught one of his defenders and trickled into the back of the goal. The own goal gave Maryville a 4-0 lead.
“That is one of the better goalies in the conference,” Reuter said.
Staples capped the first half with another goal by storming through the right side of the Lafayette defense to give the Spoofhounds a 5-0 lead at halftime.
Hayes got back into the offensive attack early second half and made a brilliant pass to find DiStefano open in the middle of the Irish defense for DiStefano’s second goal of the day.
DiStefano quickly got back into the fray. He was tackled on a play, but regained his footing and powered a third goal past Johnson. His hat trick gave the Spoofhounds a 7-0 lead.
Not to be outdone, Staples secured his own hat trick with another goal to make the lead 8-0.
With the game in hand, DiStefano and Hayes rotated back into the defensive end of the field and allowed Hermelink and Patrick Baker, two of the team’s top defenders, to get into the offensive action.
“Being seniors with them and knowing what it feels like to score on ‘Senior Night’ especially, it is awesome that we have the teammates and that they would step back for us,” Staples said.
Both players had chances early, including a shot Baker sent off the cross bar that appeared to be a goal.
“I think the one Pat kicked was in,” Reuter said. “But you aren’t going to get that call, so that is just the way it goes. … I did like that shot though, but then we wanted to go back and play that center defense and give Lucas what he needed, which was that shutout.”
Hermelink cashed in with the final goal of game moments after Baker’s near-miss and Maryville took the 9-0 victory out of ‘Senior Night.’
“It is pretty special,” Hermelink said. “You work so hard for four years to come out here on the one night when you are celebrating. To put one away is definitely special and I won’t forget it ever.”
With the regular season just past the midway point, team is beginning to become what Reuter, a first-year coach for the boys’ team, had envisioned.
“It was a great win today,” Reuter said.
Reuter brought a new system in for the players and they have embraced his possession-based system which empathizes passing and ball-control.
“It feels like we can possess the ball in the middle more,” Staples said. “Last year, we just kicked and ran under the ball. This year, possessing it, kicking it around and finding an easier path and shot, is much easier than running and chasing the whole game.
“I think we are starting to click as a team more. We are finding the open passes as a team more.”
Expectations continue to rise to for the Hounds as they are on a three-game winning streak and only have one conference loss.
“We are a special group,” Hermelink said. “We can go far this year.”
SENIOR NIGHT
The Maryville seniors are Gage Long, Peter Kempf, Grant Collins, Charlie Patterson, Hermelink, Jasinski, Staples and Baker.
“We’ve been playing together since we were eight,” Hermelink said. “We know how each other plays. We are really close to each other and it is definitely special to play with each other.”
Jarupoom Siritechaphiwat was also honored as a foriegn-exchange student.
UP NEXT
Maryville will host a pivotal match up with Bishop LeBlond on Thursday at 5 p.m.
JON DYKSTRA/DAILY FORUM
Maryville senior Patrick Baker (5), right, congratulates sophomore Jaden Hayes (7), center after Hayes’ goal opened the scoring against Lafayette on Monday at the Hound Pound. Staples finished with three goals and the Spoofhounds beat Lafayette, 9-0, on ‘Senior Night.’
