Neshaminy’s Kenny Herrmann could wind up in the midfield at Bloomsburg
LANGHORNE — Folks who know about soccer in Bucks County are familiar with the wars between Suburban One League (SOL) rivals Pennsbury and Neshaminy. Epic battles between the sides are nothing new.
The last time the sides squared off at Harry Franks Stadium, the place was packed with fans for both teams. The Falcons brought with them a vocal student section and the group spent much of the night trading barbs with a boisterous home field fan group that came to root for the Skins.
Pennsbury sent the battle to overtime with a goal in the last 10 minutes only to see Neshaminy win it on a goal by freshman Jack McCourt.
For the last four years, Skins forward Kenny Herrmann and Falcons midfielder Alex Kardos have lived the sometimes heated rivalry.
Now, Herrmann is taking his game to Bloomsburg and Kardos is going to East Stroudsburg. Because each is a Division II school residing in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), Herrmann and Kardos will see each other at least once a year on the pitch.
Word is that Herrmann might be asked to play a midfield position for the Huskies, who went 9-2 in the conference and made it to the PSAC championship game. Neshaminy head coach Tom Foley believes Herrmann — who led the Skins in scoring last year — will thrive in the midfield at Bloomsburg.”He was a good playmaker. He led the team in assists too,’ stated Foley. “He can set the ball up. He’s good crossing balls so that might be a good position for him.’
Of course, midfielders have to be concerned about both offense and defense.
“That would probably be the biggest adjustment for him but he can certainly play the position,’ the coach added.
“He can take guys on out wide and get to the goal from that position.
“I think it will be a good fit for him.’
Of course, soccer is a sport where most of the action takes place in the middle of the field. Midfielders have to scrap for every ball on offense and stop the opposition on defense. Foley feels Herrmann is up to the task.
“Kenny was a real tough player,’ said Foley. “He was willing to take a hit to win balls.
“He never gave up on the ball. He was constantly working to get it.
“Once he got it, he was an even bigger workhorse.’
Two years ago, Herrmann scored six goals as a junior playing beside 2014 graduate Nick Tucci, then a forward for Neshaminy. Last fall as a senior up top, Herrmann notched 14 goals together with nine assists for the Skins. It was a team-leading effort on offense.
“Nick had 14 goals last year and Kenny had 14 this year so Kenny kind of picked up where Nick left off.
“He realized we had some shoes to fill and Kenny stepped in and did a nice job for us.’
With Herrmann’s help, the Skins captured the SOL National Conference title the last three years. While he’s not willing to concede the 2015 division title just yet, the coach adds that a conference crown isn’t exactly in the bag this fall either.
“We have some kids coming back but we’re still going to take a step back,’ admitted Foley. “We had guys like Kenny, Jamen (Rowan), James (McCourt) and Devlin (Mettee) for three years so that’s a lot of experience.
“Those guys are going to be tough to be replace. We have some good younger kids who can step in and play. Some kids started to step up and play toward the end of the season so I think we’ll be OK.
Fortunately for Neshaminy, goalkeeper Chris Rush will return for his senior campaign between the pipes. By then, Herrmann and Kardos will have taken their game to the PSAC soccer pitch.
Herrmann is headed to a team that went 9-2 in the PSAC last season before falling to Mercyhurst in the conference championship while Kardos’ team, East Stroudsburg, went 3-8 in conference play.
NOTES: Neshaminy senior Devlin Mettee, a backfielder for the Skins, recently committed to Shippensburg. Jamen Rowan, James McCourt and Kevin Goetz are still undecided. Foley was a forward at the University of Pittsburgh.
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Neshaminy Commits (2015)
Kenneth Herrmann, Soccer, Bloomsburg
Kathryn McCoy, Soccer, Temple
Samantha Offenback, Softball, Long Island
D’Andre Pollard, Football, Villanova
Kyle Skeels, Baseball, Coastal Carolina
Nicole Wild, Softball, of Rhode Island
David Marrington, Track, Penn State
JoAnne Mamie, Lacrosse, Holy Family
Francesca Donato, Lacrosse, St. Joseph’s
Cheyenne Oswald, Track, Bowling Green State U.
Matthew Magdelinskas, Football, West Chester
