Blazers win state championship for the first time since 1975
Relentless midfield and strong defense help to hold a 1-0 victory against Richard Montgomery
On Friday, Nov. 15, the Blair varsity boys' soccer team won a historic state title, holding on to a 1-0 lead against Richard Montgomery. The winning goal of the game was scored by sophomore Julian Reyes Rubio, who tapped in a driven cross from junior Lyon Alvarez in the 19th minute.
The Blazers getting ready to make history. Photo courtesy of Zach Carter.
Coach Allie Coyle, coming off her third season leading the team, became the first female coach to ever win a Maryland boys' soccer state championship. “Since Coyle’s arrival as varsity coach she’s really changed the team a lot,” junior defender Jorge Mejia said of his coach. “Her first year we made it to the state semifinals, and we lost. And then last year we went out in the regional semifinals. So, we've always had the talent to be able to do it, we just haven't really been able to put it all together.”
In the first half of the championship game, they did in fact put it all together, as the Blazers overwhelmed Richard Montgomery with possession and immense pressure on the Rockets’ midfielders and forwards. “We had played RM before, so we kind of knew what we were going up against,” junior Christopher Moga said. “We knew that we definitely could have a lot of possession, and that was kind of the goal, just to possess a lot and kind of let our midfielders make some plays.” For the most part, this first half plan worked. Key midfielders Owen Boots and Lyon Alvarez linked the play together with slick passing and patient build-up play. The Blazers maintained the majority of the possession, pushing the Rockets back into their own half.
Senior Owen Boots attempts an acrobatic finish against Richard Montgomery. Photo courtesy of Zach Carter.
In the second half, however, the tide turned as Richard Montgomery came out with more energy and fight than Blair. “In the second half, RM definitely came out a lot stronger,” Moga said. “We had to play more defensively, but we kept our shape and tried to possess whenever we could.” Despite Blair's strong defense, the Rockets were able to get close to scoring multiple times. However, none of these scoring attempts challenged All-Met goalkeeper Caleb Johnson. Tension continued to rise as Blair struggled to play the ball out from the back, causing the fans to quiet down in the latter part of the game.
Junior Lyon Alvarez evades a tackle to help Blair win 1-0 against Richard Montgomery. Photo courtesy of Zach Carter.
The Blazers were able to eventually hold on, thanks to strong defensive performances from seniors Diego Vasquez and Yoan Pinsonneault. When the final buzzer sounded, the players celebrated with elation, many taking off their shirts and running to the fan section.
Sophomore Julian Reyes Rubio and senior Owen Boots celebrate Blair's historic win. Photo courtesy of Zach Carter.
For many players, winning the championship was a dream that had been in the making for a long time. “This year we really worked hard to mesh with our teammates’ strengths and create a team that could compete with the powerhouses of this state,” Mejia said. Moga expressed a similar notion of fulfillment. “It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to even make it to a state final and to win it, just awesome,” he said. “I've only been on the varsity team for a year, but a lot of these guys I’ve known since I was a little kid. So it's just really special to win as a team.”
From the start of this season, Moga said that the team knew they could do something special. “We knew we could do it, we really just locked in and in the end we were pretty unstoppable.”
The Blair boys' soccer team poses for a photo after winning the championship. Photo courtesy of Zach Carter.
Tags: #boys' soccer #soccer
Joe Newman. Hi, I'm Joe Newman. I'm a junior here at Blair and this is my first year on SCO. I play tennis, soccer, and I run cross-country. I'm also really into religion and Christianity and I love having deep discussions with others. Oh, y no se … More »
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