Plum Mustangs Soccer Team Finished in the State Final Four

No one wants to be insulted, and some people will go to great lengths to avoid it. For the Plum High School Boy's Soccer team, their hatred of insults helped take them to the PIAA State playoffs.

The Mustangs raced to a 22-2-1 season that included securing the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) crown, then knocking off PA's best until they were one of only four teams left in the state tourney. But in the final "insult" of the season, Plum fell to West Chester in the semifinals in a heartbreaker loss, 1-0.

"We did very well," remarks Mustang Soccer Coach Jeff Nese. "We just ran into a team that just got it done that night against us." There haven't been many nights over the past four years other teams got it done against Plum.

The 12 seniors on the squad have lost only six or seven games over their career. "It was a special group of seniors this year, very, very mature," Nese says. "Our leadership this year was fantastic; that's the main reason we were able to accomplish what we did accomplish. They played as a team. They were very unselfish. No one person attempted to overshine his teammates, but they fed off one another."

Skills and teamwork weren't the only thing the Mustangs inspired in each other. The Plum coach says there was 'science' involved. "It takes more than talent to win…it takes the want to win. You have to have the right chemistry, and we definitely had that this year," Nese observed.

What was the main ingredient in the formula? "They did not accept losing. They never expected to lose, and when they did lose, it was an insult to them. Whenever they lose, or give up a goal, they take it as an insult. …They want to show the other team they don't deserve to be on the same field as Plum."

Winning Attitude: "Even that loss in the state semi-finals, these guys went into it knowing they were playing a very good team. They still expected to win up until the end of the game. Even when we were losing one to nothing, we expected to come back and win the game. We almost did score and tie it. That was one of the biggest reasons we were successful," Coach Nese describes. "Our guys, when they stepped on the field, they knew--whoever they were playing against--they could beat. They were confident going in."

Well-Played: The guys on the Mustangs' team know each other pretty well. Their coach says, "The big nucleus of the team played together since they were ten years old, so they are just like brothers. It’s a big reason why we won. In their high school and summer club teams, they have experienced a lot of success. These past two summers, they have played against some of the top players in the country. They didn't necessarily beat them but they were successful against them…they were competitive against them.

Next Act: This year's Mustangs edition will be a hard act to follow. "Losing 12 seniors is going to be tough," Nese says. "Quite a few of the seniors are planning on playing in college--where, they don't know yet. Hopefully since we went so far in the WPIALs and the State that 's going to open up some doors, and get some coaches interested and give them a call here in the near future." Waiting in the wings is a lot of opportunity. "We have four juniors, and the sophomore class is not big. There are some starting spots on the team next year that are going to be up for grabs on varsity. Hopefully they'll grow up a little bit and mature over the summer, play on their summer teams and come in next year a little bigger and little stronger."