It's been an interesting journey during Newburyport's Ethan Machurat's varsity career, one that has taken him on a path from starting goalie to backup to captain.
The 2008 season is not the first year the three-year varsity player has been pencilled in as the No. 1 option to anchor the defense. Machurat played every game in goal as a sophomore and was a Daily News Honorable Mention All-Star, taking his team all the way to the Division 3 North quarterfinal. But through no fault of his own and no injury, he did not start a single game last year.
The reason, Nick Allman (graduated this past spring), who had started for the team his sophomore year, returned from a year away in North Carolina and reclaimed his spot through an open competition in preseason. Although the Clippers struggled to a 2-11-3 record, Allman was sensational in goal, earning All-Cape Ann League status and Daily News player of the year before being recruited to become Endicott College's starting goalie this fall.
"The year Nick was gone was Ethan's sophomore year. We were concerned about losing a great keeper, but Ethan came in and did a phenomenal job," Newburyport coach Dave Greenblott said. "We made it to the state quarterfinal after beating No. 2 seed Burke, 2-0, in the first round in large part due to Ethan. Some of the saves he made kept us in the game, including a penalty kick save right before halftime that would have tied the game, but Ethan just managed to get his finger tips to it, giving us the momentum we needed to win.
"When Nick came back it was a weird situation," Greenblott said. "We did not give the job to Nick from the start. He had to earn it, which he did."
All the while, Machurat was left relegated to the bench with no playing time to be had. The lesson was frustrating to say the least, but it was one that earned the respect of the coaching staff and players alike as they elected him captain before his senior season.
"I thought I had a pretty good season for my first year starting on varsity (his sophomore year two years ago)," Machurat said. "The coaches all said that.
"When he (Nick) came back, it wasn't degrading for me to lose my spot to Nick because he is such a great player. It was just unfortunate in my case," Machurat said. "What I learned is that position can be taken away from you at any point if you are a goalie because it's such a competitive field. But I think there are high expectations for me this year because I was elected captain after playing zero games my junior year, and hopefully I can live up to those expectations."
Instead of pouting on the sideline or griping about losing his job, Machurat took the high road, working hard to be the best player and teammate he could be, which in turn helped create a healthy competition with Allman. In a sense, Machurat became the understudy to Allman. That positive attitude and maturity struck his head coach, drawing his admiration.
"Ethan understood. He was composed, did not show any grudge, and got along really well," Greenblott said. "They helped each other in practice and it was the perfect situation to have two great keepers, even though it was unfortunate Ethan had to sit the whole season.
"He was very mature after being thrown into a situation like that where he could have been resentful. I was just really impressed, and I think the whole team was, which is why he was elected captain."
Tutored by one of the best around, Machurat was also able to take away some valuable knowledge about the position, which he implemented into his own game starting with indoor soccer in the winter and spring club soccer with the New England Soccer School.
"I learned a lot just by training with him and observing how he played," Machurat said. "Breakaways were probably the biggest thing. Every breakaway he would come out nice and big. He'd wait for the attacking player to make a big touch on the ball before aggressively challenging for the ball.
"He was also loud and vocal, which is a huge thing for keepers," Machurat said. "He was always yelling out to his defense, especially on free kicks outside the (18-yard-line), shifting people over and putting them into the right position."
The coaches have noticed the difference. Once a quiet sophomore, Machurat is now the vocal leader of the team, and Greenblott feels his captain can retain the all-league keeper spot Allman earned last year.
"He has the potential to be all-league, but it's not going to be easy because there is some good keepers in this conference," Greenblott said. "I think that he has a chance to really help us win some close games because of his ability, mental toughness and confidence.
And things have come full circle. Allman's younger brother Alex is the backup keeper for Newburyport's varsity, and now Machurat is the one passing on knowledge.
"It's funny how that works," Greenblott chuckled. "Now he is helping out Nick's brother, and we are going to be better off for it."
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