Soccer Standout Sid Goyal Is The Montgomery News October 2025 Athlete of the Month

By Sam Bernardi | Posted October 8, 2025

As a Montgomery Cougars soccer standout and a Princeton FC national champ, Sid Goyal has earned his title as The Montgomery News male athlete of the month.

In July, when he and his Princeton club entered halftime in the National Premier League Championship game in Colorado, it looked like a lost cause. Goyal’s club team trailed 3-0 at the break, an insurmountable deficit by soccer’s standards.

But Captain Goyal had not traveled to Denver to leave empty-handed. Princeton FC rallied to score five goals in the second half and hoisted the national title they had so desperately coveted. Goyal had netted the tying goal in that match.

Montgomery High School soccer player Sid Goyal.

When asked if Goyal preferred a common goal or an impressive assist, he answered like a buttoned-up professional who had been dealing with interviewers his entire career: “Whatever helps the team more.”

The speedster has been playing soccer for much of his life and always excelled. He has honed his weak foot so that regardless of which side his coach needs him on, he is ready for the challenge.

Beyond Goyal’s success at the club level, he has been a fixture on Montgomery’s varsity program for three seasons. He has already accumulated five goals and two assists through five games, highlighted by a hat trick against North Hunterdon.

Each month, Montgomery High School Athletic Director Kris Grundy polls local coaches to select a female and male scholar athlete to spotlight in The Montgomery News. Each Athlete of the Month will receive a $25 Gift Certificate to The Tiger’s Tale. 

MHS soccer coach, Rickey Steeb, cherishes Goyal, who has become an invaluable cog in the Cougars’ machine.

“Beyond his stats, Sid is a true team player,” Steeb said. “He practices with the same intensity he brings to games, lifts up his teammates with positivity, and always puts the success of the team first.”

As much as Goyal’s talent shines on the pitch, he has worked on the mental aspect of soccer. He has a relaxed, almost cerebral approach, but still maintains his competitive nature and intensity.

“I feel like it’s very easy to get frustrated, whether it’s a ref not giving me a call, or whether you’re not getting the ball a lot in the game,” Goyal said. “It’s just be level-headed. You’ve got to be able to be in control of your emotions because if you get nervous, you’re not going to perform at your best."

Sid Goyal No. 7 with the ball.

Goyal's advice: “Be calm and be in control of yourself, and the rest will happen the way you want it to.”

That attitude permeates throughout the Montgomery soccer team, and it is one of the elements of Goyal’s game, and personality. ■