Sports
FHS Booters Rose, Peluso Gain All-State Recognition
Indians allowed just eight goals this season, largely due to the synergy between their central defender and goalkeeper.
Considering that the Farmington High boys soccer team allowed only eight goals all season, it comes as no surprise that defensive stalwarts Austin Peluso and Julian Rose have been selected to the Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State team.
“Julian and Austin certainly set the tone,” FHS coach Steve Waters said. “We have to stop the other team from scoring and the eight goals is probably one of the five lowest I’ve had. By setting the tone, any other defenders playing adjacent to them, and we had a handful having guys injured, never missed a beat as far as defensive structure goes.”
Waters ranks Peluso as one of the four best goalkeepers he’s coached in 29 years on the job. He mentioned Rob Pawloski from the 1980s, Brian Gagnon and Matt Sangeloty as the other three. Peluso notched 30 shutouts in 57 varsity starts.
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“It certainly helps a team’s performance when a goalkeeper is capable of making a game-saving change any time during the match,” Waters said. “[Peluso] was very commanding inside the penalty box and also encouraging to the defenders in front of him.”
Rose, a central defender, combined with Peluso to provide both a literal and figurative defensive backbone.
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“He’s a fearless and ferocious defender who wanted to get the ball into the attacking third for two reasons. One, to get it away from his own goal and two, he was confident that getting the ball into the next zone would give us scoring opportunities,” Waters said. “He limits other teams’ chances while increasing yours.”
Rose scored one goal this season, an overtime marker Nov. 11 against New Britain that capped Farmington’s comeback from an early two-goal deficit.
The mutual respect and admiration that developed between the two players added a valuable intangible asset to the defensive dynamic, a component that almost always characterizes Waters’ teams.
“It definitely provided a sense of comfort having Austin behind us,” Rose said. “We were pretty solid but we knew if we messed up, Austin would get us out of it.”
Peluso said, “Julian’s a fantastic player. Whenever someone was coming down one-on-one I wasn’t worried about making the save. He’d make the tackle.
“It was very reassuring having him back there. He would drop back and be able to cover me if I go out for a save. It was very comfortable and I enjoyed playing with him.”
Rose hasn’t decided whether he will play college soccer or not, preferring to focus on what he wants to attain academically and professionally.
“I’m not sure where I want to go to college,” Rose said. “I applied to five. UMass and the University of Hartford contacted me but I’m not sure how interested they are. I haven’t decided if I want to play. I want to be a biomedical engineer. With the labs it would be tough to get to practice.”
Peluso, however, is anxious to don the goalkeeper’s togs at the next level, and it remains possible that he and Rose will share the same defensive zone once more.
“Right now I’m verbally commited to the University of Hartford,” he said. “It’s not 100 percent official. One of my goals was to play soccer in college because I love the game so much. I have to play, and knowing that I have that opportunity is just amazing.”
Farmington finished 13-2-3 this season and won the CCC West. The Indians won two Class LL tournament games before losing to Norwalk in the quarterfinals.
