Centreville Boys Soccer Team a Force to be Reckoned With

After a promising, but unspectacular 6-6-4 season last year, the Centreville boys soccer team sent a message in its very first game of the year, a cracking 3-1 win over South County- a team they’d tied in last year’s opener, that this was a team to be reckoned with. They followed up on that win by beating Annandale, a team they lost to in last year’s second game, 3-2, and haven’t looked back since, compiling a solid 6-3-1 record, and putting themselves in a good position to contend for this year’s district title, and perhaps even the regional championship.

“Winning the first game against South County was big for us,” said head coach Brian Cochran, who also serves as Centreville’s Assistant Athletic Director. “Usually we’re coming from behind to try to tie them, so to beat them was a huge morale boost to start the season.”

The Wildcats’ promising start has been fueled by improved performances from a host of players, including a trio of upperclassmen, Connor Coward, Tyler Lawrence, and Jacob Straub, who finished last season as 2^nd team All Concorde District all stars, but who are threatening to be first team all district players this year. 

Coward, a junior, has already surpassed his goal scoring output of last year (seven), tallying 10 goals and chipping in four assists in the team’s first nine games.

 “He is starting to do a few things different in his game to allow him to score goals,” Cochran said.  “His speed is much improved and his shot and touch on the ball have gotten a lot better.” 

Coward pumped in a career high four goals in the team’s March 23 contest against McLean, to stake the team to a 4-0 lead, but the Highlanders roared back to tie the rain shortened match, 5-5. McLean’s shocking comeback served as a wakeup call for the team, which bounced back to earn hard fought road victories against Robinson and Lee in its next two matches.

Tyler Lawrence, a senior, has also been a huge part of the team’s offensive fireworks, scoring six of the team’s 23 goals.  A pair of sophomores, Andres Garcia (two goals, one assist), and Luis Navarro (two goals, one assist) have also been an integral part of the team’s success, and a reason to believe that the Wildcats will continue to improve in the years to come.

“Andres has been a pleasant surprise so far,” Cochran said. “He was on JV last year, but he’s really improved and Luis has been our unsung hero. He plays as a forward and has set up Connor on quite a few balls.”

Jacob Straub, a senior who’s gotten interest from colleges like Radford and Longwood, is the team’s leader. “He’s our stopper. He’s tall and very skilled. He can bend the ball, and put it right on the forward’s foot,” Cochran said.

Adam Beaton, a junior who played JV last year, has been a pleasant surprise in goal, allowing an average of just two goals per game, and making some impressive saves in the team’s six wins.

 With four regular season games left, including two against district foes Westfield and Chantilly, Cochran still believes that his team has room for improvement and also optimism.

 “We should have won at least a couple of the games we’ve lost,” he said. “But I think we have more talent than we’ve had in the past, on this team we have enough seniors and skill players that we don’t have to rely on one person.”

 Cochran believes that the district is likely to come down to a four-team race, with his team battling Herndon, Oakton, and Robinson for the title.

“Herndon is the favorite to win the district, but Oakton is also playing well,” he said. “Robinson will get better. It’ll be the tightest race we’ve faced in a long time. Our kids just need to get their confidence up and we’ll be fine.”