Peglegs Finishing Off a Strong Season

The Peglegs, Stuyvesant’s boys’ varsity soccer team, have earned themselves a spot in the playoffs. Approaching the end of their season with just one game left, the Peglegs are looking to end strong. This is their most successful season in years, currently sitting in second place with 21 points, just behind their long time rival Martin Luther King Jr. High School (MLK), with 27 points.

They have been nearly unbeatable these past few months, with a record of seven wins and two losses in their PSAL Manhattan A1 division. “With an eighth win and an 8-2 finish, we are hoping for a high seed in the playoffs,” Coach Vincent Miller said.

Though the Peglegs have had a total of three postponed games this season, it has not stopped them from using each game as an opportunity to improve. “We've gotten better at being more aggressive and taking shots since the beginning of the season,” senior and co-captain Caleb Smith-Salzberg said. This is reflected in the team's stats with the number of shots on goal in their most recent game doubling that of the number of shots in the match that started their season. Their shots peaked mid-season, reaching a total of 18 in one game against Washington Irving High School.

In their last game against Frederick Douglass Academy, the team showed resilience and a diversity of talent. At the end of the first half, the game was tied at two. This continued until the end of time, so the match went into overtime, a sudden death round. The Peglegs were able to finish off the game with a 3-2 win. This game showed the ability of many teammates to finish. Three goals were scored by three different people: juniors Jeffrey Shen and Robert Nava, along with sophomore Jeremy Moller. The development of these younger players have been crucial this year and will improve the team in the future.

As they continue to improve at both games and practice, the team reflects on how to do better. “Our strengths are definitely our defense and ability to counterattack. I think our possession has definitely improved. While it's not quite as much of a strength as I would like, we have shown the ability to dominate a game by possessing the ball,” senior and co-captain Michael Gillow said. Hopefully, the team can improve on their possession time.

As the playoffs approach, the Peglegs are looking to go as far as possible and, ideally, beat their main opponent, Martin Luther King Junior High School, if the opportunity arises. They have not lost hope despite their 4-0 loss in their first game against MLK, followed by a 5-0 loss to them later in the season. “We held MLK scoreless for 39 minutes, but [we] allowed them to score two in the final few minutes of the half. We have to remain focused and capitalize better on our chances. We also need to have a better response if MLK scores, so we don't let them get into a rhythm,” said Smith-Salzberg, referring to their second game.

It is clear that this team has the ability and skills to handle tougher teams such as MLK, but it is simply a matter of consistently playing hard. “I feel [that] if we play a third game against MLK, we will give them everything we have and play very hard to the final minute,” Coach Miller said.

Though the team will most likely not face MLK in the playoffs, they have high hopes that their improvement will produce positive results as they face new teams outside of their division for the first time. “The team has played with a great amount of grit and toughness [...] and an attitude that [they] can beat anyone in the city,” Miller said.

As the Peglegs finish up the final stretch of their season with numerous victories, it is clear that they can go far in the playoffs. They just need to become more focused and capitalize on the opportunities they get.