Broadneck Boys Looking Strong As Soccer Midseason Hits

A heart-wrenching defeat, followed by a flat 20 minutes in the next game, could have caused Broadneck’s season to crater early. Instead, it served as a valuable fulcrum on an upswing toward greater things.

After an 2-1 overtime loss to Severna Park in the first week of the season, Broadneck’s boys soccer team has reeled off six straight wins to position themselves nicely for the stretch run.

The Bruins opened the season with a 4-1 win over Mount Hebron in Bowie before the Severna Park tilt, then followed that up with a 7-3 win over Chesapeake Science Point in which they fell behind 2-0 in the early going in something of a hangover from the rivalry loss.

“It really hit us because we fought our heart out in that game, and we just kind of came out with the wrong mentality against Chesapeake Science Point. There were some emotions going on in that game, and it was deserved,” said Broadneck senior midfielder T.J. Remson. “We should never come out with that mentality, and that game really helped show us that we needed to pick it up.”

In hindsight, the Chesapeake Science Point start might have been just the thing the Bruins needed to kickstart their season.

Since then, Broadneck has conceded just four goals in five games, beating Meade and Glen Burnie by identical 5-0 scores, coming from behind to top St. Mary’s 4-1, routing Annapolis 7-1, and topping South River 5-2.

“These guys are going to work hard, they’re going to compete, and they aren’t going to give in,” said Broadneck coach Sean Tettemer. “… we’ve got an experienced group. They know how to battle and compete.”

As is expected with a team so deep and as is customary with Broadneck’s style and culture, the Bruins are getting contributions from all over the roster.

In total, 15 players have a goal contribution. Twelve players (plus one own-goal) have scored, led by Braeden Kelly with nine, Remson with six, Erik Akhtar with five, and Quinto Barrett and Wilson Banwell with four. Ten players have assisted: Akhtar leads the team with Barrett at five, while Kelly and Remson each have four.

The defensive rotation, headlined by Brady Miller, Lewis Tippin, Wyatt Shaw and Mason Kaline, has helped keep the defense tight and made life easier for the goalkeepers. Joe Brenner, having made six starts, has posted 12 saves in goal, including six against Severna Park. Dalton Bashore has posted six saves in seven appearances (two starts), including three in the victory over Mount Hebron, while Jonas Encarnacion has logged five saves in as many appearances.

Broadneck currently sits third in a loaded region, despite having just one defeat. They have a tough test remaining in Chesapeake, which comes to Broadneck on October 9. That game is followed by their regular-season finale at Crofton a week later. Then comes the region tussles, with Broadneck, Crofton, Bowie and Leonardtown all looking formidable in their own ways.

The unpredictability of county play has kept Broadneck on their toes all season, and it’s forced them to take it game by game — an approach that keeps them honest and gives each opponent their due.

“We see those scores online and things, but we don’t really feed into that very much because when you see how unpredictable these games are, you can’t really think that any team is better than another,” Remson said. “Teams are having good games and bad games, so you never really know what’s going to happen when you come out against a team. We just go out with our opponent and with what we know about them, and we do what we can to try to get the win.”