If you’re going to be stuck somewhere, it might as well be a place with great soccer.
That’s how Shane Lachawiec and his teammates felt this summer when they were stuck in England after heading there as a team in the preseason.
The trip became a little longer, but that just meant a little more fun overseas.
“We had a great time over there, we were in London, we toured a lot of stadiums, we went around the city, we saw some games and even had some practices,” said Lachawiec, who lives in Fox Chase. “We did get to go pitchside. We didn’t get to play on one of those fields, but we did get to touch the grass and it’s incredible. Nothing like over here.
“It was me, my dad and my little brother. We were there for 10 days, but our flight got canceled. Something about weather coming out of Philadelphia. People were tired and we wanted to go home, but it was a fun experience and I enjoyed it.”
Mostly because it revolved around things he loves, including his teammates at Roman and, of course, soccer.
“We went to some Premier League games. I’m a Liverpool fan, and we went to one of their games. Best game I’ve ever watched, they won 4-3. It was a high-scoring game, we were in the stands with all the fans. We had a lot of fun.”
Almost as much fun as Lachawiec and his teammates are having this year.
The Cahillites sit at 7-1 and are atop the Catholic League, tied with St. Joe’s Prep (7-0) and La Salle (7-1). In a crazy competitive Catholic League, it’s not a bad place to be one month after Labor Day.
“We lost to La Salle in OT, but that could have gone either way,” Lachawiec said. “We have some really good players, when we play our best, we’re really good. Of my four years, this is our best year, I think.
“I think we have good players. We have such good chemistry, that’s the one thing that boosts us. And our coaching is great. We knew last year, we were going to be good this year. We had a lot of players back, so we thought we could be really good.”
And Lachawiec is one of the architects of the squad.
Since last year started, he added a new piece to his game.
Growing up, Lachawiec was known as a great defensive player, and he still is. But last year he started scoring, and it’s brought a whole new dimension to his game. It’s also brought a whole new dimension to Roman.
“My first role on the team this year is to clean up the defense if anything drops in the middle,” said Lachawiec, who scored 13 goals last year. “And also to score. I didn’t know I was a goal scorer until last year. It just happened during the game, I started scoring against teams. It’s great, I love it. It’s not something I worked on. I was never a goal scorer, I was always a defensive player.
“I think I’m seeing the field, it comes from set pieces, throw-ins or free kicks. That’s my biggest strength, I’m pretty good in the air. I have some really good players around me, and that definitely helps get me going.”
Lachawiec hopes to lead Roman to a memorable season. But he’s also friends with many of his opponents.
Growing up in Fox Chase, Lachawiec’s friends splintered after graduating from grade school and many ended up as opponents. That makes the games more fun, but doesn’t do anything to spoil friendships.
“I’m from Fox Chase, and we only have three of us go to Roman,” Lachawiec said. “Our friend group has 25 people in it, it’s great. It’s the best thing about the group, they’re from all over. We have friends from Roman, Judge, La Salle, Prep, Holy Ghost, Springside Chestnut Hill and Archbishop Ryan. A lot of them play soccer. It’s a lot of the Judge kids, but we’re all good friends.
“We played Ryan and Jack Stackhouse is one of my closest friends. I was really happy we beat them, but I’m not saying anything yet because they’re always good in the playoffs. We talk about soccer, that’s the main thing, but everything. We won a championship together in eighth grade, so we’ll always have that. It’s a really fun group.”
Strong bonds don’t end in Fox Chase and Roman.
In fact, the strongest bond Lachawiec enjoys is with his family, which includes his parents, older brother Nicholas and younger brother Sam.
“My parents are my biggest influences they’ve always been there for me, always cheering me on and doing whatever I need,” he said. “My brothers play soccer. My older brother was at Rosemont, now he’s at Penn State Abington. My younger brother plays at Roman with me. He’s good. We’re all midfielders, so I think we get a lot from each other.
“I’ve had a lot of help. My family. And my coaches. My club coaches have helped me so much, I’ve been with them for years. And the coaches at Roman. They’re a big part of getting me where I am.”
And where he wants to go. That involves a championship.
“This year, my goals are to win the championship, that’s the biggest thing because it’s our senior year,” said Lachawiec, who hopes to continue his soccer career in college while majoring in business or something in real estate. “Personal goal? I want to be First-Team (All-Catholic). Last year I was second team. It meant a lot to get second team, it was a huge jump from sophomore year. It would be nice to get first team, but the championship, that’s the main goal.”
