A Year Without Defeat: JV Soccer Season Recap

On October 25, DeMatha’s JV soccer team defeated Bishop O’Connell 6-0 in their final game of the season. With this win, the JV soccer team capped off their first undefeated season in over five years.

In 10 games, the team finished with an astounding record of 7-0-3. The JV Stags were dominant both offensively and defensively. They scored a whopping 37 goals (3.7 per game) while only giving up three goals (0.3 per game) for the entire season. Their most impressive win came against Bullis, as the faith-filled gentlemen & scholars traveled to Potomac, Maryland and executed an 8-0 throttling of the Bulldogs. In that game, the bench was subbed in early in the first half and dominated Bullis’s starters, holding them to zero points while adding four additional goals. Some of their other notable wins include their 8-1 demolition of Bishop Ireton and a 6-0 shutout of St. Mary’s Ryken.

One of the leaders of the team was junior wing Chase Lopez. The JV stud contributed 5 of the team’s 37 goals and had a multitude of assists while only playing in seven games.

When asked how he felt about the season, Lopez gleefully replied, “It was pretty good.” Lopez spoke about their practices and training schedule, saying the team had pretty consistent practices and training.” Lopez believes that their training regiment allowed the team to be fully prepared for their games.

Another factor that Lopez said made the season good was their competition. Despite playing some other talented teams, he says, “We were the better team in all the games.”

The JV soccer team had both an electrifying offense and a stout defense. However, when asked to determine which side played better, Lopez gave the edge to defense. Lopez stated, “When we needed our defenders the most, they came up clutch.” In particular, Lopez praised the defensive play during their WCAC games against Bishop McNamara, Good Counsel, Paul VI, and Gonzaga. In those four games, the offense somewhat faltered, scoring only four combined goals. However, in those same four games, the defense remained tenacious as they only allowed one goal. DeMatha went 2-0-2 during that toughest part of their schedule due to their defense’s transcendence.

The squad was captained by junior defender Wyatt Stephens. The star center-back locked up on defense while scoring key goals throughout the season. Against Gonzaga, Stephens scored the game-tying goal near the end of regulation. With that goal, DeMatha was able to tie the game and keep their undefeated season alive.

When asked to speak on Stephens’ value, Lopez showered him with praise, stating that he was a “great leader” who “puts the work in.” Lopez continued by saying that Stephens gives “great chants,” and helps the team “lock in.” Lopez gave Stephens praise for both his leadership and athletic abilities. Based on his effort and willingness to support others, Stephens seemed to be the perfect leader on this JV squad.

Lopez was asked to reflect on his own performance for the season. Despite his terrific output, the winger was originally critical of his performance. “I played a little timid, I could’ve played more aggressive.” He further elaborated on his lack of aggressiveness by saying that he “liked to pass” and sometimes “made too many extra passes.” Lopez believed that there were times when he could’ve been more aggressive and tried to score more goals. However, he often distributed the ball because he is a self-proclaimed “selfless individual.”

Part of Lopez’s selflessness came from the camaraderie he built with his teammates. When asked to explain his teammates’ impact on his performance, Lopez replied, “[The] team inspires me to play because I have someone to play for.” The friendships built on this team ultimately allowed everyone to feel at ease and to play to the best of their abilities.

Lastly, when asked to give two words that summarized their season, Lopez offered the following: “Locked-in” and “JV demons.” Lopez first said locked-in because he believed that everyone was “focused” and “determined” to be successful. Lopez then said JV demons because he said “that was the best way to describe our team.”

Like most years, the 2022 JV soccer team capped off another great season. Unlike most years, the team played an entire season without the agony of defeat.