Warriors Outlast Foes For Green Hornets Club Championship

The Warriors boys soccer team put together a fairytale run to avenge their only losses of the season and win the Green Hornets seventh/eighth-grade club soccer championship in November.

The team of Collin Brazil, Kenneth Brazil, Neal Brierley, Nathaniel Cortez, Ryan Crowley, Louis Gehring, Ryan Graves, Kevin Hall, Brady Jones, Sawyer Knapp, Adam Marsella, Ryan Osborne, Galen Richardson, Kiernan Robinson, Joey Tomar, Alexander Villegas and Charlie Wilemon went 6-2 in regular-season play.

A turning point in the season came when the Warriors were 2-0 and played Doug Mules’ Black team in the third game of the year. The Black crushed the Warriors 9-2, spurring the Warriors to focus on defense.

“Something had to change, so we committed to defense and didn’t give up more than two goals in any game the rest of the year,” said Warriors coach Kirby Knapp.

After a first-round playoff bye, the team had another chance at Mules’ Black team. Black led 1-0 at half, but a second-half goal by Brierley tied the game, and Wilemon scored the game-winner 30 seconds into overtime to send the Warriors to the championship.

In the championship game at Kinder Park on November 3, a David-versus-Goliath matchup pitted the Warriors against the undefeated Gray team coached by John Zaniker and Matt McGaughey; Gray had outscored opposition 38-4 in going undefeated at 8-0 during the regular season, and they had defeated the Warriors 2-1 in the lead-up to the playoffs. Gray took an early 1-0 lead in the final, but Wilemon tied it 1-1. Again Gray went ahead 2-1, but Wilemon scored once again to tie the game at 2-2. After a scoreless overtime, the teams went to penalties, with the crowd of families and friends scurrying down to the goal to get a closer look. In the seventh round of penalties with the teams tied 2-2, Crowley scored to put the Warriors up, and Gray couldn’t convert their chance to extend, sealing the championship for the Warriors.

Offensively the team was led by forwards Wilemon, Knapp, Graves and Osborne. Kenny Brazill, Cortez, Crowley, Gehring, Hall and Robinson dominated the midfield. Marsella, Brierley, Collin Brazill, Jones, Richardson and Villegas provided lock-down defense, with Tomar doing the bulk of the goalkeeping.

Coach Knapp, who coached the team with Chris Richardson, said he kept practices lighthearted and enjoyable, and the boys focused on having a good time.

“We knew we’d have fun this season but no one expected this team to win it all,” said Knapp. “[They’re an] enthusiastic and fun-loving group of boys. They prioritized being with one another more than winning.”