Cutler's career reaches its end A 'special' player, Rams captain ready to move on By SEAN FAWCETT Correspondent Southern Regional High School senior Joe Cutler has become a player whom coach Andy Kmosko, his teammates and Ram soccer fans have been able to count on for a number of things during the past several years. Lots of goals and leadership are just two of those things. A four-year player for Kmosko and the varsity boys soccer squad, who plans to continue playing in college, Cutler ranks among the Shore Conference leaders in goals scored this fall with 14, and has handed out one assist. With 20 career goals coming into this season, Cutler now is ranked 11th among the all-time goal-scoring leaders at Southern alongside Kevin Cheeseman and Chris Moscufo. "Joey's an excellent striker," Kmosko said. "He's a very smart player, a very dedicated player. And he has a great foot." Besides the ability to shoot well with either foot, Cutler also has had speed on his side. "I can shoot with my left and my right," he said. "I'm also pretty fast. Speed is probably my best attribute." Also a member of the Southern track and field team, Cutler is one of the school's top 100- and 200-meter runners. "A good striker needs to be fast," Kmosko said. "You need to be able to run down long passes, outrun defenders, and be able to stretch things out so you can create lanes to shoot. He's a highlight waiting to happen each and every time he has a ball sent his way." Cutler's highlights this season have been many, including five goals scored during two Ram victories over Shore Conference Class A South division rival Toms River East. Cutler connected for two goals in the locals' 3-1 opening night win at Ocean County College on Sept. 13, then ripped the back of the net three more times in Southern's 5-0 shutout win at Southern less than three weeks later. He also propelled the Rams, who currently sit at 7-10 with one game left on the season, to a 3-1 win over Brick Township with two more goals, and scored the game-winner during a 1-0, last-minute over Central Regional. "The games against East were probably my main highlight, but so was the game-winner against Central," Cutler said. "There's nothing like scoring a big goal." A good student with a 91 grade-point average, Cutler's latest goal will be to pursue undergraduate and possibly post-graduate studies in accounting. "I would like to get an MBA or maybe a CPA," Cutler said. "I know Joe can do anything he wants to," Kmosko said. "He's one of those guys who always tries, no matter what." Cutler credits Kmosko with helping to mold his "never quit" philosophy. "I learned a lot from Coach Kmosko," Cutler said. "He's always talking about overcoming adversity and focusing on doing what you need to do. It's a lesson I know will come in real handy in college, playing soccer and studying accounting. "It came into play this year, too," Cutler said. "We only won, I think, three games last year, and I knew I was going to be counted on to score a lot. We also had a lot of work to do to change our attitudes from a year ago. It was tough, but our attitude is much better this year, and that's been a big difference. Cutler's only wish that didn't come true this season was a shot in a postseason tournament. "As a senior, I take some pride in that," he said. "I wish we had an opportunity to go to the tournaments this year, to go to states. We didn't qualify, but we came close." And once the Rams' last game against Pinelands reaches the final whistle, a void will be left in Kmosko's heart. "I'm going to miss Joe a lot," Kmosko said. "He's a special player. He's our captain. He deserves to be mentioned with Southern's best. I'm very proud of him."