Muhlenberg boys, led by a coach who was the goalkeeper five years ago, ends 33-game soccer losing streak

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

The final minute was wonderful agony for Muhlenberg’s boys soccer players and their rookie coach. They had the lead and a chance to take a burden off their shoulders.

David Medina, who played goalkeeper for the Muhls five years ago, kept sneaking a glimpse at the clock. He kept asking his assistant how much time was left. He kept thinking three words: Don’t. Mess. Up.

Muhlenberg held on and defeated Solanco 3-2 in a non-league opener Saturday at Quarryville. The Muhls ended their 33-game losing streak.

They talked about that number. The 0-18 record in 2019. The 0-12 mark last year. Two senior classes came and went without feeling the taste of victory.

“You can’t really hide from it,” Medina said. “There’s no acting like that never happened. When we train, I always remind them but at the same time I try to tell them that’s not who we are. That was the past.”

The future is looking much different.

Medina, 23, started coaching three seasons ago as a junior high volunteer assistant under Noah Nguyen, another Muhlenberg alum who played at Albright. Medina was elevated to junior high head coach last season. 

When Muhlenberg went searching for someone to lead the varsity, Medina threw caution to the wind and his resume onto the pile. He landed the job and Nguyen became an assistant.

“I’m not going to pretend like I was confident and ready,” Medina said. “Even last year when I was the head coach at junior high, I was nervous. I was scared. It was my first time being the lead guy. When I had the opportunity to go up to the high school it made me even more nervous.”

Medina lives by a motto. If the challenge doesn’t scare you, you’re not aiming high enough. He took the challenge.

Turning Muhlenberg into a winner might look impossible from the outside. The Muhls were outscored 116-15 over the past two seasons. Their last win was Oct. 1, 2018 against Gov. Mifflin.

There was, strange as it may seem, talent on the roster and some in the league have viewed Muhlenberg as a sleeping giant. Medina knew the players as well as anyone. Many of them were on his junior high teams.

Jeremy Goodman scored two goals against Solanco. Nico Santiago scored one. Yaiden Green, who opted out last year because of COVID, and Angel Isardat, an all-division pick, are among the Muhls’ top players.

Turning Muhlenberg around was an enticing possibility for Medina and Nguyen. They’re emotionally invested in it.

“I don’t think I would have gone to any other school district to coach,” Medina said. “I knew I had a lot of love for the game and I knew a lot about the game. Why not help the kids and the program that helped me? This was me giving back. It definitely feels personal.”

How quickly Muhlenberg can become a contender remains to be seen. Berks II is interesting. Conrad Weiser is off to a fast start and Fleetwood is always a giant. 

Medina said he hopes the Muhls can scratch out a winning record, which they haven’t done since 2011. 

“The first goal was to get that first win,” he said. “The second goal is what we can improve on from that first game. Just because we won doesn’t mean it’s over for us. We still have a season to play. We still have something to prove to ourselves.”

When those last few seconds finally ticked away, Medina ran onto the field with everyone else. For a young coach and a hungry team, it was the beginning of a new era.