By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
The Western Alamance boys’ soccer team had to work for it, but the Warriors didn’t mind doing it.
Western repeated as a state champion, topping East Lincoln 1-0 in Saturday’s Class 5-A championship game at Guilford College’s Appenzeller Field in Greensboro.
The Warriors wrapped up a 29-0 season.
“We knew coming into this season we had high expectations,” Warriors coach Camden Brooks said. “As the season progresses, you feel better and better because we’re putting teams down. We knew we made it to this point, you got to get the state championship. You can’t get this far and drop the game.”
Franky Maya’s goal in the 61st minute marked the game’s only scoring. Goalkeeper Eamon Hipps made six saves and was selected as the game’s Most Valuable Player.
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Eamon Hipps getting ready and in action
All photos courtesy of Patrick Abbott
Maya converted after East Lincoln made initial stops on Western attempts from Grant Bacchus and Edwin Anguiano with the ball going in different directions near the goal mouth during that sequence. East Lincoln goalkeeper Luke Bissinger wasn’t able to recover to fetch Maya’s shot.
It set off a massive celebration that Western fans had been anticipating throughout the game. Then it was the matter of keeping the Mustangs at bay the rest of the way. East Lincoln threatened with 10 total corner kicks compared to Western’s five.
[Story continues below other game photos.]
Game shots courtesy of Patrick Abbott
Western has won 53 consecutive games. It’s the third state championship in a five-year stretch for Western, which also won in 2021. All those titles, plus a girls’ soccer championship last spring, have come under Brooks’ direction.
“We haven’t lost a game in so long, it’s a mental thing at this point,” Western defender Noah Rouse said. “You try not to drop a game.”
Western’s lineup is dotted with players who moved into new roles this season. So this wasn’t the same group that captured the championship a year ago, but many of them knew what it would take.
“It’s obviously very difficult to do this,” Brooks said.
The Warriors had the ability to crush opponents, though their last two results came with one-goal margins.
“This year, our chemistry was nice,” Hipps said.
Against East Lincoln (21-5-1), Western had chances in the first half. Anguiano shot wide on a penalty kick.
“We knew that they were going to be fast and attack fast so we were just really well prepared and expected it,” East Lincoln coach Michael Arabie said.
Brooks said he didn’t want the Warriors to be discouraged with the scoreless first half.
“I thought we had the better chances in the first half,” he said. “So we had to go back into the second half (and) be confident.”
Other champions during the three-day state finals were Thomas Jefferson (Class 1-A), Gray Stone Day School (Class 2-A), Wallace-Rose Hill (Class 3-A), Southwestern Randolph (Class 4-A), Charlotte Catholic (Class 6-A), Marvin Ridge (Class 7-A), and Wilmington Hoggard (Class 8-A).
Celebrating with fans after the win
Photos courtesy of Patrick Abbott
