JV soccer is unbeatable

When the final whistle blew in Blair's 2-0 JV soccer win against Churchill, the players ran to the sideline to celebrate the undefeated season.

The Blazers stormed through their opponents with an impressive 12-0 record. They were able to beat the perennial up-county soccer powerhouses of Churchill, Walter Johnson and Whitman, all of which have had varsity teams ranked in The Washington Post's top ten.

The team's success resulted from stingy defense and productive offense. The team had several shutouts, including games against Churchill and Gaithersburg, and only gave up one goal against Whitman.

Coach John Haigh attributes the team's achievements to commitment and hard work. "The team was extremely dedicated and developed throughout the season," said Haigh.

According to Haigh the team worked hard in the off-season. Players attended captain-led practices in the summer and were in great shape for the start of the season. The work and strategies implemented in practice translated into success on the field in games. Sophomore co-captain Mac Kpadeh felt the team was able for the most part to stay focused in practice and come game time the players knew what they had to do in order to win.

The team only had four returning players, but the few sophomores improved and filled their important roles. Also, the freshmen were able to step up to the level of play be reliable starters.

According to Kpadeh there was not a lot of anticipation for the JV team because they had so few returning players. "Not a lot was expected of us because we did not have many sophomores, but people got an idea of how we play and our style," said Kpadeh.

Varsity coach Adrian Baez attributes the skill of the varsity team to the development of players on the JV team. "JV provides us [varsity] with a farm team that feeds talented players," said Baez.

Haigh sees this season as a partial indicator of the potential of the varsity in the coming seasons. "This is a great sign for the future," said Haigh.

With standout freshman midfielder Josh Zippin and sophomore Matt Tanner already on varsity this season and the upcoming JV squad, Blair soccer expects big things in the next couple years.