Entering the 2021 season, there was little known about the Salisbury High School boys soccer team. There was almost an entirely new roster from last year, and head coach Mark Allinson was also installing a new system and formation on the field.

After a couple of bumps along the way, the Falcons became comfortable with the flow of the varsity game and found some success. Salisbury finished the regular season 7-8 overall, qualifying for the District 11 Class 2A tournament before falling to Bethlehem Catholic in the quarterfinal round on October 26.

“Graduating nine seniors, seven starters last season, I wasn’t really sure what we would look like entering the season,” said Allinson. “Finding a goalkeeper was a priority, as was finding combinations on the field, and a system of play. We finally settled in on a new system (4-3-2-1), and our players began to understand what their particular roles would be within that system of play. The back four also needed to be identified, and Josh Hudak, Jacob Knerr, Will Raymond, and Ifrahim Ansari all stepped into unfamiliar roles.

“We opened the season strong with some goal-scoring punch and settled in on two goalkeepers, Tyson Utesch and Kyle Artis, who both play basketball. We remained competitive through most of our games. I found the players to be upbeat and supportive of one another.”

Allinson has had some very successful teams over the last decade, so qualifying for districts becomes not just a yearly goal, but a yearly expectation.

“Qualifying for districts was a goal and it took some hard work by everyone to achieve that goal,” Allison said. “The players were pumped to be getting to the postseason and I’m proud of them for their hard work throughout the season to get there.”

Throughout the course of the season, there were a couple of games or events that stood out to Allinson in a positive way.

“Highlights from the season included some explosive scoring during Notre Dame (East Stroudsburg) and Northern Lehigh games,” said Allinson. “Also, close, hard-fought away games at Lehighton and Kutztown.”

Salisbury once again has a large senior class in double figures that will graduate this year. Each one gave back to the program and will be missed.

“Our seniors played an integral role in our team’s success this past season,” Allinson said. “Senior captains Nick Amado and Drew Hines led a ‘climate’ change to a more positive support system among players.”

Looking forward to the 2022 season, Allinson remains high on his team of returners and will look to get back to the postseason and advance further.

“Next season will be much like this season, finding a system of play, determining player roles, maintaining a positive climate,” said Allinson. “There are 13 seniors graduating, including our top scorer Nick [Amado], but there are pieces to the puzzle remaining to be successful, including four of the top five leading scorers, and three players with defensive experience.”

2021 Falcon

scoring leaders

Nick Amado - 19 goals, 11 assists

Jack Monahan - 7 goals, 5 assists

Cam’ren Smith - 8 goals, assists.

Alejandro Zuniga Garcia - 5 goals, 4 assist

Diego Severo - 2 goals, 6 assists.