- November 27, 2024
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BY ANDREW O'BRIEN | SPORTS EDITOR
The four-year drought is over: The Father Lopez boys soccer team won a district title for the first time since 2009, when the Green Wave edged out Master’s Academy, 1-0, last Friday in the District 3-1A championship.
Carlos Metcalf scored the game-winning goal for the Green Wave.
“Winning the district was huge for the school,” first-year coach Jon Kinsler said. “The attendance at the game was electric, so you know (the players and fans) wanted the win.”
Kinsler, who was an assistant coach last year, said the title meant a lot to him, too. He’s a former soccer player at Seabreeze and in college.
“It means a lot to me because all of our hard work and practice paid off,” he said. “A lot of our intensity from training translated to the game. As a coach, it made me proud.”
This year’s Father Lopez team includes five seniors. Kinsler said each is a leader in a different way, and that has helped guide the underclassmen.
The Green Wave began the season 0-3 but then reeled off four straight wins. “We had some tough losses in the beginning of the season,” Kinsler said. “It would have been easy to give up, but the seniors stayed positive, and the younger guys bought in, as well.”
Since that 0-3 start, Kinsler said, his team has progressively been improving. And despite winning the district championship, he still doesn’t think his team has peaked.
That’s a good thing.
“We have been consistently getting better,” he said. “The state playoffs will be a tough rode for us, but if we keep our intensity high and play inspired, we will be tough to beat, too.”
Father Lopez will host Orangewood Christian at 7 p.m. Thursday, in the Class 1A regional quarterfinals.
Orangewood Christian comes into the game 19-3 after losing to The First Academy in the District 4-1A championship. Orangewood Christian topped Father Lopez, 2-1, back in December.
