Unfortunately, getting close only counts in horseshoes.

Catasauqua head boys’ soccer coach Josh Inman discovered it this past season. His team had been close in many games, but they couldn’t find a way to finish.

The result was a 4-12-2 season. Catty ended with a 4-13 mark last season.

“A lot of our games were close,” said Inman. “We were right there in games, and we would have a breakdown or two that would cost us. We played with our opponents, but we just couldn’t find the net enough.

“Our goal at the start of the season was to get to districts, especially since we had some many seniors. But we didn’t manage to do it.”

The Rough Riders scored 26 goals on the season and were shutout six times. They began the season with an impressive 5-0 shutout over Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg, but then dropped three straight.

They posted a 3-3 tie with Palmerton, lost to Palisades (9-0) and had a 1-0 victory over Salisbury. From there, however, they went winless in eight-straight having a 0-0 tie with Palmerton in the mix.

The Roughies had some injuries during the season, and lost captain and leading scorer senior Jaxon Berrier for two weeks. Berrier and fellow senior Mason Forstoffer were consistent throughout the season.

“Jaxon was our captain, and he played that role well,” said Inman. “He really helped with the younger players. Mason was very steady for us all season.”

Inman wished the 11 seniors could have found the postseason.

“I really feel for them,” he stressed. “Since they started playing, they have been working to make it to the postseason.

“They placed a lot of stress on themselves to try and reach districts. They all really worked hard. We just left too many games out there that we should have finished.”

Inman has a number of returnees for next season. Sophomore Osmar Ferre had a breakout year, and he will be one of the integral players for the 2023 season.

Overall, the head coach was proud of his team’s effort, and he remains optimistic that his team can reverse the tide.

“We generally played our best, and we were unselfish as much as we could,” he said. “We had a great game against Salem Christian at the end of the season where we scored six goals in the first half.

“It is there for us, and we just have to unlock it.”