Dryden’s Phillips reaches 100 goals

Last season, Dryden soccer standout Casey Phillips set the school’s all-time goal record with the 63rd in his career. He wasn’t done, as Phillips has scored 26 goals this year to bring his career total to 102, surpassing the impressive 100-goal milestone.

The 100th goal was a big one too, as it was the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Lansing to keep Dryden undefeated this season and clinch the IAC division title. Phillips talked about the goal that pushed him to triple digits.

“It’s an incredible milestone,” Phillips said. “I’m extremely excited. In the second half, we had a lot of set plays. That’s where we were getting some clear chances. That’s what my 100th goal came off. It was a corner from Jackson Crocker, who played it right in the middle. I got a little bit of free space and just got my head on it.”

Going into the game against Lansing with 99 goals, it seemed a sure thing that Phillips would get the one he needed, considering he had scored two goals in a 7-0 victory against the Bobcats earlier this season. This time around, the defense was tougher to solve, holding them off the board for the first half.

“Coming into that game, we were a little shocked by how Lansing came out and how strong they came out,” Phillips said. “They definitely had a different game plan. They brought a lot more players. They were subbing constantly to just tire us out. I feel like we were still dominating the game, not so much in the first half, but in the second half, we came out with a lot more fire.”

Sometimes, players prefer not to be aware of upcoming milestones or records, but Phillips was aware of what he needed to do to get to the 100-goal mark. It simply came down to whether he’d have the opportunity to do so.

“I knew from the beginning that I needed like 26 goals or something like that,” Phillips said. “I was totally unsure if it was ever going to happen just because I didn’t know how many games we were going to be able to play, but I kind of had it in the back of my mind. I had a few coaches and parents telling me about it, but I wasn’t really focusing on it. I was just hoping to play.”

Dryden has had 100-goal scorers in the past, most notably Taylor Bennett, who went on to play for the Syracuse University women’s soccer team before beginning her professional career in Iceland last year. Phillips is the only player in the boys team’s history to reach that mark, and he discussed what led him to so much success.

“My teammates for the past four years that I’ve been on varsity have always been helping me,” he said. “They’ve always been supportive. For the four years, I’ve been the goal scorer, but we’ve definitely had a lot of other goal scorers on the team, a lot of assisters. They’re just a great group of guys for all four years. We all work hard. We all want to win. That’s pretty much what I’m just helping my teammates do.”

This year, Phillips is a big part of a well-oiled Dryden machine that has been dominating and finished the regular season 10-0. With all this success, Phillips wishes there could have been a chance to compete in a normal postseason.

“We were totally looking forward to it,” Phillips said. “Last year, we were strong. Unfortunately, we lost to Oneonta in sectionals. But we only graduated four seniors. This year, we knew it was going to be a special year because we’ve got the same group of boys [who] have been playing together for eight or nine years. We knew this was going to be our dominant year. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t have a normal season in the fall.”

There are plans to hold an IAC Championship this season, giving Dryden a chance to defend the title they won last year, and there is a slim possibility for a Section IV Championship. A few months ago, there were doubts that they’d even have a season.

“I did think that [we wouldn’t have a season] when they canceled us in the fall,” Phillips said. “I didn’t know if they were going to make us combine fall and spring sports and winter sports. I didn’t know if they were going to be able to make that work. It was in my head that we weren’t going to have a fall season or a spring season or any season at all.”

Fortunately, his college plans had already been set before his senior season. Phillips committed to Division I Binghamton University back in March 2020. He talked about the next step in his soccer career.

“Binghamton was a good fit for me because I’ve met both the coaches before and I liked them,” he said. “They’re certainly close to home, which I don’t mind, so my parents can come watch me play, which I know they love to do. If I would have gone to a school that was out of state or something, they wouldn’t have been as happy. Academically, it’s a great school too.”

Phillips has etched his name in Dryden’s record books with a goal total that surpassed the previous record by over 40 goals. It’s hard to imagine anyone challenging that anytime soon. He’ll look to keep finding success at the collegiate level just 50 minutes away from home in the fall.