HS SOCCER: Devils blank Spartans in first home game
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Shenandoah Valley's Sam Mentusky leaps for a header, which would score a goal for Shenandoah Valley in their game against North Schuylkill Wednesday evening.
SHENANDOAH – Two days shy of the 61st anniversary of the first football game at Veterans Memorial Stadium, the stadium played host to two new athletic milestones for Shenandoah Valley.
The first boys soccer game at home, and the first win at home.
The Blue Devils are embarking on their first season and were fresh off the program’s first win as they returned home. That win came 4-1 over the Bloomsburg Panthers Saturday afternoon in tournament play at Millville.
Wednesday evening, the squad came home to an electric atmosphere on what was the site of 125 years of Coal Region football history — from the east-west culm-laden Memorial Field to the north-south Veterans Memorial Field and from the earliest days of Pennsylvania high school football to the Death Row Defense of the 90s — Wednesday began a new story.
Signs adorned the fences at the stadium. “Welcome Home Devils,” “Yes, its true, we FINALLY have SOCCER in the 462” were among them, as well as one that played off the former co-op which sent SV soccer players to Nativity:
- Drippy New Cleats: $100
- Gas $ Saved Not Driving 61 S Every Day: $75
- Hot Chicken Empanadas $3
- Beating NS On OUR Field For The 1st Time as DEVILS: PRICELESS
Shenandoah’s Ayden Zamudio opened scoring for the Devils mere minutes into the first half, followed up by another score by Elvis Lara midway through the half.
With just under 6 minutes left in the first half, Sam Mentusky quite literally used his head to give Shenandoah a 3-0 advantage before halftime.
Joan Menjivar and Kevin Gasca would both score in the second half to give the Devils a 5-0 lead, while goalkeeper Gordon Slater kept North Schuylkill off the board.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Head Coach John Burke told the Sentinel postgame. “I’m at a loss for words. These guys played great.”
“Our keeper had a lot of saves, which is awesome,” Burke said. “He’s a first-time keeper [this season.]”
He said the team has made strides improving through their first matches.
Shenandoah moves on to their third tournament of the season, travelling to Middleburg, Snyder County for the Midd-West tournament Saturday.
Wednesday’s game was the first high school soccer match played in the history of Veterans Memorial Stadium, which hosted its first game on Sept. 8, 1962. The current stadium complex was built for football, track, and baseball, with plans to construct tennis courts and a community swimming pool that never came to fruition.
Prior to the construction of Veterans Memorial Stadium, the site was home to Memorial Park, which was dedicated in 1931.
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