Centreville Girls Soccer Team on a Winning Streak

Soccer is not a sport that lends itself to self-promotion or self-congratulation.  So please excuse ’s varsity girl’s soccer coach, Gary Malebranche, for his understated response to his team’s stunning 8-0 start, in which they’ve trampled their opponents to the tune of 29 goals for, and just three against. 

“I wouldn’t say we’ve surpassed expectations,” said Malebranche of his team, which went 8-4-2 last year, losing to rival Robinson in the district tournament. “But you probably don’t expect to go 8-0, because we respect our opponents and everyone in our district is a threat.”

So while the team has been thrashing the competition, their coach, who once played for the storied Italian club Fiorentina, has been keeping a wary eye on looming threats.  

Lurking dangers notwithstanding, it’s been a sparkling start to the season for the Wildcats, who have already beaten three of their fiercest rivals—Oakton, Robinson and McLean.

The Cats have been powered by a total team effort, in which 12 different players have scored goals, and everyone has contributed to what has been the Concorde District’s stingiest defense. Last week the team debuted at number 25 in the ESPN Rise National High School Rankings. Senior Isabel Chang, who will attend James Madison on a soccer scholarship next year, has led all goal scorers with six tallies in the team’s first eight contests. Chang has long been a stalwart for the team, but her goal scoring prowess has been something of a bonus.

“She’s skillful, intelligent, and she’s quick—she’s a leader on our team,” Malebranche said of Chang, who was honorable mention for the All Concorde District Team last year. “She has shown her goal scoring touch before- but last year, I think she had one goal because she played a more defensive role.”

The team also received a boost when Ridgewater College commit Mari Marotta, who was a sprinter on the track team last spring, decided to come back to the soccer squad this year. 

“She’s very quick, intelligent, not the biggest but her athletic ability more than makes up for her lack of height. And she can finish, she has four goals for us already,” Malebranche said.

Sophomore sensation Alex Myers, a member of the national under 17 player development pool who made the first team All Concorde District Team last year as a freshman, has also been a huge part of the team’s success, with four goals, and three assists. Katie O’Donnell has been a creative playmaker in the midfield, and will attend UNC-Wilmington on a soccer scholarship next year.

Senior goalkeeper Taylor Avery, who will attend the College of Charleston on a soccer scholarship next year, has been stellar in goal, giving up just three goals all season. And the defense, anchored by senior Sarah Karlik, and sophomore Clara Logsdon, (2^nd team All Concorde District last year) has been as strong as they come.

Centreville is the only undefeated team in the district, and even Stone Bridge, who won regionals and state last year, has a tie on its otherwise unblemished record. But Malebranche isn’t ready to order the non-alcoholic champagne and commemorative championship hats and t-shirts just yet. 

“Our goal is to win the state championship, and to do that, we’ll probably have to beat Stone Bridge twice. But getting through our own district is going to be a challenge,” he said. He added: “I think we can do it.”