By Tyler Thompson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The New Covenant Academy Warriors boys soccer team fell just shy of a district championship last season.
This fall, the Warriors look to author a different narrative — as eight returning starters hit the pitch for head coach Eric Crain — who enters his 18th season at the helm.
“It [season] is really just a build-off from last year,” Crain said. “We pretty much have the same team. The same style — moving the ball around the field.”
Last year, the Warriors compiled a 16-7 record, falling 1-0 to Fair Grove in the Class 1 District championship game.
Gone is goalkeeper Ryan Rodgers —who was named first-team all-district, all-region, and all-state.
Rodgers tallied 114 saves, allowed 28 goals, and forced eight shutouts in ’18.
“The biggest hole I am going to have this year will be my goalkeeper,” added Crain. “I am not sure who I’ll have in the goal this year. That will be the one pickle I will have.”
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While questions surround the goalie, the rest of the versatile roster is intact for another opportunity at a district title.
Returning starters include Ethan Davis (junior midfielder), Josiah Barstead (sophomore defender), Wade Van Riessen (sopomore defender), Jack Batterson (senior midfielder), Spencer Chevalier (sophomore forward), Kaden Moore (junior forward), Dake Winslow (junior midfielder; named all-district, all-region and all-state in ’18), and Collin Farquhar — senior defender who also was all-district, all-region, and all-state last season.
The Warriors graduated six players, but depth and experience — Crain said — gives optimism to the season.
“All of the positions we have, I think we can fill with the new freshman group that’s coming in. We have about three or four freshman kids who are enrolled here, which will help with the process of building another year of success.”
Those freshmen include: Seth Smothers, Levi Nichols, Logan Dille, and Landon Cummings.
“They have soccer experience. They’ve played club,” Crain said — “which will make a difference; being able to come in and do some damage with us.”
Have a seasoned team this fall will help carry on the strong record, at home as well as neutral sites.
The Warriors were 8-3 at home last fall, 5-3 on the opposition’s turf, and 3-1 at neutral sites — netting a 2.17 goals per game average, while allowing an average of 1.21 against.
For Crain, playing freshmen has not deviated from the norm the past few years, as four started last season.
Having that experience and a strong returning core this fall, the Warriors are taking those lessons learned from one year ago and are pouring them into this season’s preparation.
Said Crain: “The senior class came in and showed, through hard work, but it was more of our younger guys that had the more individual skills. We were able to put [it] together and have the success that we had.”
With many vacations planned this summer, the bulk of preparations were poured into June.
“We don’t do any traveling, from school to school. We pretty much just get together within our group,” Crain said. “It is tough to get them in later than the June mark. We come in and work on individual stuff, our touches. We do a lot of ball possession and use as much space as possible.”
The preseason jamboree is slated for Tuesday, Aug. 27, at Cooper Soccer Complex (Greenwood).
The Warriors join Greenwood, Marshfield, and Logan-Rogersville.
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