Since Mike Thomas joined the staff as an assistant coach in 2002, the Seton-LaSalle boys' soccer team has collected enough hardware to make any English Premier League team green with envy.

Seton-LaSalle has won six section championships, three WPIAL titles and two PIAA Class A crowns while Thomas was an assistant coach under Aaron Panczyk.

This season, Thomas has taken over the Rebels program after Panczyk resigned at the end of last season's 25-0 state-title run that was capped by a 1-0 PIAA title-game victory against Camp Hill.

Seven starters are back from that team, although those who graduated include four players continuing their soccer careers in college. This includes the Post-Gazette's Player of the Year in 2008, David Del Greco, playing at Division I American University.

"In years past, we would just get the ball to David and let him work against the defenders with his great soccer ability, but now we are relying more on a team effort, rather than a one-on-one situation or long-distance strike," Thomas said.

The state title was the second in the past three seasons for the Rebels, who had a record of 69-3-3 in the three seasons previous to this year.

Seton-LaSalle is "only" 5-2 thus far this season. Both losses were by a goal to Class AAA foes: Central Catholic, 1-0, and North Allegheny, 2-1, in overtime, last Saturday.

This is the first time in four years Seton has had more than one regular-season loss in a given year. The Rebels continue to dominate Section 3-A play, however, with a spotless 3-0 record. This includes a resounding 5-1 thrashing of Sewickley Academy, the only team in the section to challenge the Rebels much in recent years.

Seton-LaSalle is riding a 37-game unbeaten streak in section play with its last section defeat occurring in October 2005 against Vincentian.

Seton was scheduled to play host to Vincentian (3-4, 1-3) last night. The only two non-victories during that span are a pair of draws with Sewickley Academy in 2007, the year the Panthers won the WPIAL and PIAA titles.

DelGreco scored 60 goals last season, among the highest in one season in WPIAL history, but the Rebels offense has plenty of firepower remaining in senior forwards Ty Trainor and James DelGreco (David's cousin). Trainor, a former midfielder, leads the team with eight goals followed by DelGreco with six. Seton scored 32 goals in its first six games.

"Ty Trainor is a ballhawk. He is always around the ball," Thomas said. "He follows up every single shot. Ty reads the game. He understands the game and knows what runs to make. When he goes after the ball, he has a pretty good idea of what he's going to do if he gets it.

"Tyler and James complement each other well."

Others who have scored at least four goals early in the season include senior center midfielder/stopper Jeff Canceimi and senior outside midfielder Brendan Derry, a transfer from West Mifflin.

Junior outside midfielder John Kotek has scored three times. Others who have contributed to the team's success this year include senior midfielder Pat Boland, senior defenders Shawn Clark and Justin Kovic, sophomore goalkeeper Cory Smigielski, freshman sweeper Michael Bondi, junior defender Brosnan Hoban, senior forward Mike Newman, sophomore midfielder Ty Balzer, junior center midfielder Roman Vukmanovich and sophomore defender/midfielder Ben Aiello.

"Mike Newman is a big, strong kid who runs hard and puts every opponent under pressure," Thomas said. "Mike Bondi is very athletic, he listens well, he knows his role on the team and he has really stepped it up."

Each of the aforementioned players has started at least two games as Seton prides itself on its depth.

"We take it game-by-game and whoever does well in practice gets the start in the next game," Thomas said.

Thomas can see challenges arising from a few other teams around the WPIAL: "Carlynton and Sewickley Academy have pretty good teams this year in Class A. Every game is competitive when you go out there."

Seton-LaSalle's Tyler Balzer, right, battles Shady Side Academy's Christian Petredis for possession of the ball in a PIAA match last year. Balzer is a sophomore midfielder.