East Central soccer manager gets big surprise on Senior Night

Found out he was starting the game during pregame meeting

(ST. LEON, Ind.) – East Central senior Nathan Mahoney is one of those dedicated members of the soccer team. 

Although his name never shows up on the stat sheet, he is always one of the first to arrive at practice and one of the last to leave. 

Mahoney has served as the student-manager for the soccer program for the past four years. 

He recently asked head coach Clay Muncy if he could dress, and possibly get in the game, during East Central’s Senior Night. 

“I wanted to find a way to surprise him. So, I actually said there was an IHSAA rule that prohibited him from participating in the game,” Muncy told The 812.

Mahoney was under the impression that he would not see the field, however, that changed during a pregame meeting ahead of Monday's game.  

During the meeting, Muncy was announcing the starting lineup for the Trojans.

“Starting in the nine position tonight, will be #19,” Muncy announced. 

“Wait, that doesn’t make sense who is #19? Captains, do you know who that is,” Muncy asked his team. 

There was a moment of confusion before one of the team captains shouted, “Nathan Mahoney!” 

Nathan not only started in the striker position for the Trojans, but also performed well. 

“He did a great job of closing down the switch, and he was in the right spots that he needed to be. I often tell the starters to close down the switch, and Mahoney did that very well. He played just as good as some of the starters,” Muncy said. 

Mahoney and the Trojans were able to win on Senior Night by defeating Batesville 1-0 in overtime. 

Muncy said the senior has made a significant contribution to the program and was very deserving of the opportunity. 

“He is such a good kid and loves soccer so much. When he leaves I don’t know what we will do without him,” the coach said. 

“As much as he’s done for us, giving him a chance to play was something I could do to make it memorable for him,” he added.