Prep Notes: Quick ascension of Woodstock; top prospects, commits

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Come to find out, blue-and-gold suits Owen Finberg just fine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After 19 years of the red-and-black of South Kent School (Conn.), Finberg quite literally moved his entire operation to Woodstock Academy (Conn.) for the 2023-2024 school year, and now the program is just a few wins away from a Prep Top 10 national title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woodstock Academy enters the final week of Prep Premier League regular-season play with a 10-0-1 record, having outscored opponents 31-4 with eight shutouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We tried not to put too many expectations [on the first-year program], but we certainly knew we had a good group of players … who know how to win games,” Finberg said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woodstock Academy faces fellow front-runner Northwood School (N.Y.) on Saturday and ends league play Sunday against Hoosac School (N.Y.). Woodstock needs one point in those two matches to secure a berth in the Nov. 17-18 PPL playoffs. If Woodstock Academy finishes the season undefeated, it will be rewarded with the Prep Top 10 national title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>How does a program suddenly become a national power overnight?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That story actually started two years ago. Woodstock Academy hired a coach with designs of a more competitive prep program to go along with its high school team. At the same time, Finberg had taken South Kent School out of NEPSAC, where it had long dominated Class B competition, saying, “We had surpassed the quality of the competition.” In fact, in each of Finberg's 19 years at South Kent, his teams were either the B champion or lost in the playoffs to the eventual B champion. In the past few years, South Kent opted for more of a year-round academy model instead of playing for NEPSAC titles and, in the process, claimed national titles in 2021 and 2022, the program's fifth and sixth since 2011. But during his last season, it was becoming evident Finberg's time at South Kent was running out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Without delving into details, Finberg says his exit from South Kent School was “nasty,” and he wasn't sure why. In any case, the person hired to elevate Woodstock had made it known the 2022 season would be his last with the program. Basically, on Jan. 1, 2023, Woodstock Academy had a need for a coach to raise the school's soccer profile, and Finberg was seeking a new opportunity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I thought there was great growth potential at the school and the program,” Finberg said. “Over the last three years before we arrived [at Woodstock Academy], we created a template for a year-round program. We wanted to take it to the next step, and Woodstock was the place to do it. It has the facilities and full support of the administration.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of course, talk is one thing — having the players is another, and that's where changing jerseys comes into play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Within a few months of Finberg's hiring, 19 players who were part of South Kent's national title run in 2022 had transferred to Woodstock Academy. Finberg also brought in 20 new players to join the South Kent transfers and one Woodstock holder to complete the 40-player program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The new-look Woodstock Academy team opened its season with a 1-0 win over perennial NEPSAC A power Milton Academy (Mass.). In the nearly two months since, Woodstock added quality wins over the likes of RMPUS (Canada), Loomis Chaffee (Conn.), Williston-Northampton (Mass.), Phelps School (Pa.) and High Mowing School (N.H.). The lone blemish was a draw with Kiski School (Pa.), the reigning Pennsylvania Independent Schools state champion and a fellow PPL rival.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woodstock Academy's top player is senior defensive mid [player_tooltip player_id='13660' first='Kelvin' last='Da Costa'], a native of Mozambique who expects to commit this week to an ACC program. Senior midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='60229' first='David' last='Lee'], from South Korea, also is about to commit to an Ivy League program. Lee creates and finishes. He had five goals and six assists, factoring on one-third of Woodstock's goals this year. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='152632' first='Alec' last='Pentikis'], a domestic player, has six goals and one assist. He has committed to Colby College. Senior right back Max Maneke, senior forward Hendrix Mota, senior left back Harrison Vail, and senior back Lucas de Pedro Sanchez from Spain are entertaining NCAA Division I offers. Two other seniors are about to commit to NCAA Division III programs, as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But underclass players also are having an impact.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Freshman sensation [player_tooltip player_id='152636' first='Richard' last='Sarpong'], from Ghana, has a team-high nine goals and one assist. Junior Enoch Joseph, a center mid from Bermuda, is the team's top 2025 prospect. Fellow junior [player_tooltip player_id='152635' first='Alvaro' last='Medrano'] won the starting goalkeeper role and has eight shutouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finberg said he did not bring any South Kent gear to Woodstock. Instead, he wanted to focus on the new challenge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“It's been easier than I thought it would be,” he said of coaching at a different school after two decades at South Kent. “It's been fun, refreshing. It's been a nice change of pace and environment.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:tablepress/table {"id":"287"} --> [table id=287 /] <!-- /wp:tablepress/table --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>RECRUITING</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:shortcode --> [table id=288 /] <!-- /wp:shortcode --> <!-- wp:shortcode --> [table id=289 /] <!-- /wp:shortcode -->