Warriors Repeat As Green Hornets Club Soccer Champs

Four games into this season, the Warriors boys soccer team had only one win, and chances of them repeating as Green Hornets seventh/eighth-grade club soccer champions seemed slim.

But the Warriors kept practicing hard and having fun, and they put it all together at the right time.

The boys rallied to a 4-3-1 regular-season record before reeling off three straight shutout victories in the playoffs to win the title of club champions.

The team of Alejandro Almodovar-Vives, Jack Clayton, Nathaniel Cortez, Jonathan Croghan, Ryan Crowley, Dylan Fenn, Jonas Gabler, Ryan Graves, Leo Havens, Sawyer Knapp, Gabriel Lamberti, Caleb Rassofsky, Galen Richardson, Kiernan Robinson, Joey Tomar and Alexander Villegas clinched the crown with a 3-0 win in the championship game at Severna Park High School on November 2.

“There were no MVPs on this team,” said coach Kirby Knapp, who coached the team with Chris Richardson with the goal of keeping practices lighthearted and enjoyable. “This group of boys kept each other positive and cared more about having fun than winning. The championship was just icing on the cake and a testament to them working together.”

Havens’s beautifully lofted toe-poke goal from 20 yards out in the semifinals against the Gray team coached by Brian Johnson and Rick Carlson lifted the Warriors to a berth in the final and earned Havens the nickname of “Golden Toe.”

In the final at Kinder Park on November 3, the Warriors matched up with the talented royal blue team coached by Doug Mules, which had beaten the Warriors twice in the regular season. Knapp scored the opening goal to give the Warriors a first-half lead, and the defense of Crowley, Cortez, Tomar contained the royal blue attack in front of Fenn, the goalkeeper. Havens scored an insurance goal shortly into the second half, and Knapp earned a brace to close the scoring and cement the Warriors’ 3-0 championship victory.

Coach Knapp credited Green Hornets and Scott Ayers for a fun season for everyone.

“Green Hornets club soccer is special because the boys are playing against friends from the community,” said Knapp. “It’s healthy and fun local competition amongst kids they have grown up with.”

Knapp said the Warriors translated their training into play and enjoyed the process of working to improve.

“Each boy got better as the season progressed and used skills they learned in practice during games, which is all you can ask for as a coach,” Knapp said.