54.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Lawrence Woodmere Academy at 4-1-1
Lawrence Woodmere Academy has been a fixture in the IPPSAL boys’ soccer playoffs under coach Jeff Weiss, but the Tigers missed the postseason a year ago with a roster loaded with youth.
“It was the first year in a long time we didn’t finish above .500,” Weiss said of the 3-8-1 campaign. “We had trouble scoring. But we grew up a little late in the season and got a few wins, and the confidence has carried over.”
LWA matched its 2010 win total after just four games and appears playoff bound with a 4-1-1 record midway through the league schedule. Its latest victory came against Solomon Schechter on Sept. 22, 4-1, as sophomore Jack Xu, playing his first game of the season after filling the required number of practices, scored twice to lead the way. Junior Bryan Ruiz-Diaz and sophomore Matt Irizary also scored.
“We’ve been doing some very good things and we still only have two seniors,” Weiss said. “Defense has been our strong point, but we’re also finding ways to score.”
Both of the team’s senior captains, Michael Licatesi and Spenser Berry, are key pieces of a starting defense that also returned juniors Benny Schulman and Chris Liebenberg. “Our entire defense is back from last year, so that’s a plus,” Weiss said. “All four guys are physical and fast. They’re interchangeable and have great chemistry.”
Sophomore Noah Schulman earned the starting goalkeeper job and posted his first career shutout in thrilling fashion when freshman midfielder Gerardo Arunjo scored on a 30-yard blast with 10 seconds remaining to beat Schechter in the first meeting Sept. 15, 1-0. “Noah’s a catcher in baseball and has good hands,” Weiss said. “He has great hand-eye coordination and does a nice job with punts.”
Offensively, Arunjo has provided plenty of electricity thanks to a combination of speed and skill. He scored the game-winner in a 4-3 season-opening decision at Waldorf Sept. 14, and in the most-recent victory picked up a pair of assists. “He’s dangerous and can score in a variety of ways,” Weiss said.
Sophomore Andre Lipiec, who scored to give LWA a 1-1 tie at Portledge Sept. 24, is also part of the starting midfield along with junior Jakob Cayne and sophomore Abraham Castillo.
Up front, the Tigers have depth and firepower with Ruiz-Diaz, who had two goals against Waldorf, Irizarry, Xu, and sophomore Alex Kompogiorgas.
The top four finishers in the eight-team league advance to the playoffs, and Weiss is confident the Tigers can be one. “I know we’re going to continue to play hard, and reaching the finals would be special,”
he said.
