Terrence Charles (2004)

Anybody who has spoken to veteran Scotch Plains Fanwood soccer coach Tom Breznitsky knows that he is not prone to using superlatives. But Breznitsky, who recently became the fifth coach to have won over 500 games, has no hesitation putting his current sweeper, senior Terrence Charles in the stratosphere of his pantheon of his brightest stars.

“Terrence is as good as we’ve ever had back there,” said Breznitsky.
“He probably has the fastest first three steps of anyone I ever coached. There is no player we’ve faced that Terrence hasn’t been able to stay with.”

That quickness and speed, accomplished with an effortless grace makes Charles an easy player to overlook when watching the Raiders play. Sweepers, like offensive linemen in football, are often most successful when least noticed.

But the player who benefits most from Charles’ defensive play, Goalie Bryan Meredith notices and appreciates who plays in front of him. “He is a great player to have in front of you” said Meredith, who like Charles, was first team All Union county last year.

“Terrence is almost never out of position and stops a lot of hard shots before they ever reach me,” added Meredith. And the feeling is mutual.

“Playing in front of Bryan is great. I have the confidence in my goalie to know
that if I make a mistake he can cover for me right away. Having confidence in
your goalie is probably the most important aspect of playing in the back. You
need to know that at any point in time he will be there to support you and make
the right decision,” said Charles.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago Charles moved to America before he turned one and lived in Plainfield for the first 8 years of his life before moving to Scotch Plains

After lettering as a freshman, Charles has been a fixture in the starting lineup for the past three years. As a sophomore he played midfield before moving back to sweeper last year where he joined with senior Michael Hessemer, another All Union County player to form the backbone of a defense that produced 15 shutouts.

“ Now that I’m a senior I feel that I need to take more of a leadership role on the team. A lot of the younger players look up to not only myself but also the other seniors on the team. We feel that we need to show them and teach them what the Scotch Plains-Fanwood soccer tradition is all about, “ said Charles.

In addition to Meredith, Charles is joined by four other senior returning starters, Greg Leischner, Billy Albizati, Sean McNelis and Casey Hoynes-O’Connor, and juniors Jeff Bell and Joe Jacobi, who have helped meld a young team into another Raider powerhouse, currently enjoying a sixteen game winning streak, allowing only one goal and have given up only eight goals with seventeen shutouts.

Although all free kicks were taken the past three years by two time first team all state star Ryan Breznitsky, Charles proved in the most pressure packed games of last season that he was adept at making penalty kicks. In the sectional final against Middletown South, Charles made his kick as the Raiders won 4-2, Tom Breznitsky’s eleventh sectional title. In the state semifinal round against Ramapo, Charles connected again but the Raiders lost the shootout 5-4. Charles has converted all three of his penalty kicks this season

“I’ve been taking penalty kicks since I was a little kid. I would go outside
and practice them with my father. So coming to high school and taking penalty
kicks really weren’t too hard of a task. I was pretty nervous before I took
both of those kicks because of all of the hype of the games, but as soon as I
walked up to the spot all of the tension went away,” said Charles.

Although he is known for his defense, Charles has played every position including goalie.” I’ve done just about everything. I prefer to play defense because it allows you to defend or mark someone, and at any point in time be allowed to attack without the other team realizing it.”

In Breznitsky’s 500th victory at Cranford on October 20, Charles displayed his versatility as he helped the Raiders withstand the absence of center midfielder Casey Hoynes-O’Connor and lineman Sean Young by moving to an offensive midfield position at times. On several occasions Charles took a loose ball in the defensive end and using his explosive speed advanced the ball into the offensive end. When Cranford counterattacked Charles quickly recovered into a defensive position. In Saturday’s second round Union County Tournament game Charles filled in at Hoynes-O’Connor’s position and scored a goal in the second half in the Raiders’ 4-0 victory. A victory over Elizabeth tomorrow puts them in their eighth straight final.
“I have a lot of confidence in his decision making. He is like having another coach on the field ,” said Breznitsky.

Many top soccer colleges are anxious for Charles’ services including University of Connecticut, North Carolina State University, Ohio State University, and Seton Hall University. But for Charles there is much work to do and feels honored to be one of the captains at Breznitsky’s 500th victory.

“I enjoy playing for Brez. He is an accomplished coach and knows what he’s
doing. I feel that he is not only a good coach but also a good motivator. He finds a way to get the most out of his players and that is why he has been so
successful over the years, “ said Charles.

“Being the captain of the team that wins his 500th is a great honor. Hopefully along with his 500th win we can bring him a state championship.”