There are often bumps in the road in this kind of journey, such as the Monarchs experienced in losses to the Smithtown Christian Crusaders, 7-1, last Thursday and to the Greenport Porters, 3-1, on Friday. But there were also a few bright spots in the play of Luis Gudiel, Jamie Heimroth and Doug Borge that shows Stoutenburg flashes of hope that his team is beginning to understand what it will take to ultimately be successful.

"We do what we can," said Stoutenburg, whose team is in its second varsity season. "Our biggest problem is that some of these kids on our team have never played soccer before."

Of the 23 players on the team, Stoutenburg said three-quarters of them are inexperienced. Many of them are eighth- and ninth-graders.

Gudiel's first half goal against Smithtown Christian kept McGann-Mercy within striking distance at 3-1 by halftime. Smithtown Christian scored four unanswered goals in the second half. Roger Young, the Monarchs' goalkeeper, recorded five saves.

The next day in Greenport, Gudiel's first-half goal gave McGann-Mercy a 1-0 lead. But second-half goals by Orlando Lopez, Alex Gaitan and Michael Reed lifted the Porters to the come from behind win. Matt Miller made four stops in goal for Greenport.

Stoutenburg said Gudiel has worked hard to improve. "He practiced kicking the ball with his left foot, then his right foot against the wall," Stoutenburg said. "When he picks up the ball at midfield, he takes it and goes towards the goal."

Heimroth and Borge, both seniors, have added some stability this season. "Jamie is our best player on the team," Stoutenburg said. "He knows how to play the game and he plays with so much heart."

Stoutenburg called Borge "a solid defenseman."

Still, it is difficult for the Monarchs (0-4 overall and in Suffolk County League VIII), who went 3-10-1 last year, to compete against more experienced competition.

"Last year we had five guys that could play and two graduated," Stoutenburg said. "This year we are so young. We have to fight so hard to win a game. It is impossible."

So, Stoutenburg said, "We do what we can do."

With no junior high school or junior varsity program to act as a feeder system, Stoutenburg has scaled down the expectations.

"The varsity is all we have," Stoutenburg said. "Our goal is not to be losing by scores of 7-1 or 8-0. We want to try and bring some consistency to every game. If we can keep the scores at 2-1 or 3-1, we will be making progress."

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