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May 9, 2008

Team Heads into District Tourney With 11-1 Record

By Rebecca Plevin Observer Staff Writer

The Herndon High School soccer players stand in a circle on the turf field at Hutchison Elementary School and juggle the ball with their feet and heads. The boys pass around the ball at practices and before every game, said senior Christian McLaughlin, because it loosens their muscles and builds their team chemistry.

The juggling ritual seems to be paying off this season. The boys' soccer team is 11-1 and is seeded first going into the district play-offs next week, and the players said they hope to kick and head the ball straight to the state championships. "We are trying to go as far as we can," McLaughlin said.

The teams' successful record can be partially attributed to the players' level of connection on and off the field. "I trust everyone on the team," McLaughlin said. "We don't really have a weak spot. We are pretty much solid all the way around." He said team activities like juggling and Sunday night barbecues have bonded the players together and made them a stronger team.

The Hornets' winning season also can be credited to coach Sean Lanigan's return to Herndon athletics, players said. Lanigan coached the boys' soccer team from 1996 to 2000 and during that period, Herndon won three district championships and two regional championships, and played twice in the state tournament. Lanigan has not yet won a state title with the Hornets, but "maybe we'll bring it to him," senior Sol Mourtaza said.

In his return to Herndon, Lanigan said he has brought strong training sessions and game management to a dynamic squad that for many years lacked the discipline and organization needed to achieve great results. "I bring a lot of commitment to these kids," he said.

So far, the highlight of the season was the squad's 3-2 win over sports powerhouse Westfield High School on April 28, McLaughlin said. He said it was a "must-win" game because if the team lost, they would have had no chance of placing first in the division. Senior Anatole Doak said he was "ecstatic" to have scored two goals in the last 10 minutes of that game. Doak said he was happy to score the first goal to tie the game and scoring his second, game-winning goal was "awesome."

And as the boys have racked up wins, they said they have also gained a fan base. "The fans expect us to win, everyone expects us to win," McLaughlin said. "There's more pressure to win this season." Senior Luke Merrill agreed and said, "We're loving the fans."

A number of the seniors will be playing soccer in college, including McLaughlin, who will play for the University of Virginia, Mourtaza, who will play for North Carolina Wesleyan College, and Doak, who will play for Cornell University. If the team goes all the way to states, Mourtaza said, they could continue playing through the week of graduation. "Coming out of high school like that would just be amazing," he said.