Eric Premisler stood on the field at Belson Stadium totally amazed.
The coach of the Jamaica boys’ soccer team couldn’t believe he was there, under the lights at one of the top soccer facilities in the Northeast.
And he couldn’t believe that his team, the same bunch that started the season 0-2, including a season-opening 3-1 loss to neighboring rival Thomas Edison, had just won the PSAL ‘B’ title.
“They keep bringing it to another level and surprising me every time, and tonight they did it again,” Premisler said after the game. “They never cease to amaze me.”
If not for Premisler, the TimesLedger PSAL Coach of the Year, Jamaica might not have been in that final.
“Back then the guys were frustrated. Everyone wanted to score; everyone wanted to play an individual game,” said junior striker Rashid Green. “We changed that and we started playing as a team and ended up where we are right now.”
He kept the team together while it stumbled out of the gate. There was bickering, talk of guys quitting the team, but Premisler was the bond.
“It was very hard. After the second game some of my starters were ready to quit but that tie we had against Wagner (1-1 on Sept. 19) helped us keep some of the players on board,” Premisler said. “Eventually when we won against Lane (1-0 on Sept. 23), they thought, there’s no stopping us now.’”
Maybe his most impressive job was finding a goalie in freshman Timothy Zappel and sticking with him even after some early shaky moments.
And once Jamaica went on a roll, winning eight straight games, Premisler’s job changed.
“Even at practice, every day the guys were into it,” Premisler said. “It was hard keeping them into it, but when they’re winning the hardest thing was to keep them from their heads blowing up.”
While some teams might let playing at St. John’s against an undefeated team in the finals get to them, it was nothing to the Beavers as Jamaica beat Manhattan Center 2-0 in the final.
“Every game in the playoffs were against an undefeated team,” Premisler said. “It was just awesome watching them grow together.”
