At Westfield, no sport attracts student interest as much as soccer does. With often over 100 students trying out and only about 45 combined spots for the JV and Varsity teams. Due to this, the Westfield soccer program consistently produces quality, contending teams, and that looks to be the same this season as the Westfield boys soccer team currently leads the Concorde District. With the regular season wrapping up, here is a preview for how far Westfield could make it in the state and regional playoffs.
Suiting up in Westfields black and gold this year are 13 seniors, seven juniors, and three sophomores. The senior class is highlighted by midfielder Nicolas Ribera-Menceses, Alexander Hwang, and Kevin O’Connor, whose younger brother Ethan (10) also plays on the varsity team. His fellow sophomore Yannis Cardoza Peralta also played on the varsity team as a freshman, and he is already playing big minutes as a striker. Leading the junior class for Westfield are midfielders Elroe Takele and Joel Gerban. Rounding out the starting lineup for the Bulldogs are all seniors; Jason Drakopoulos, Michael Caputo, Michael Dessalegn, and Brady Nelson, the starting goalkeeper.
On Wednesday April 30th, the Bulldogs faced off against the West Springfield Spartans, who came into the matchup with a very strong 7-2 record. The Bulldogs, who entered the contest at 7-1-1, having recently won close district games against South Lakes and Centreville. With both teams looking to be regional contenders, the matchup was predictably one that came down to the last few minutes.
The game started out fairly even. Early on, Westfield was successfully getting the ball to their forwards on the outside, but they couldn’t quite get a shot on goal. West Springfield had been struggling to maintain possession, until they got a quality shot on Nelson about 10 minutes in, who managed to save the finishing attempt with relative ease. A few minutes later, the Spartans committed a penalty with Wetsfield moving the ball into the box, setting up a penalty kick for senior Michael Dessalegn. Dessalegn nailed the shot into the upper middle of the goal after an unsuccessful dive from the West Springfield keeper, and the score was 1-0, Westfield.
The score held up until halftime, and the second half was similar. Both teams managed to put some shots on the opposing goalkeepers, but for the most part the defenses held firm. As West Springfield failed to put a shot into the back of the net, the Bulldogs secured the 1-0 shutout victory.
Following the win, the Bulldogs traveled to Vienna to take on an underwhelming Madison (2-7-2, 0-3) team, and dominated the Warhawks with a 4-1 victory. That win gave them a 3-0 Concorde District record, currently tied with the Oakton Cougars (8-2-1, 4-0) for first place overall. Both teams are undefeated in district play, and will face off on May 13th at Oakton, after the Bulldogs host the Chantilly Chargers (7-3, 2-1) a few days earlier on the ninth. Therefore, Westfield would clinch the regular season district title if they win their last two games.
Elsewhere in the Northern Region, McLean (10-1-2) and Washington-Liberty (9-3-1) are currently #1 and #2 in the Liberty District, with Wakefield multiple points behind at 6-3-3. McLean reached the state championship game last year, with a postseason run that included triumphing over Westfield in the penalty kicks in the region semifinal. As far as the rest of Class Six, the central areas of Virginia are once again producing high-quality teams. The defending state champion Cosby Titans are leading region 6A, which contains almost all of the class six teams in southern and central parts of the state, with the record of 8-1-2. Grassfield out of Chesapeake is also looking like they will reach the state playoffs, as the Grizzlies from Virginia Beach currently have an 8-2-3 record. In PW and Stafford counties, Mountain View and Gar-Field have been dominating the competition, with Mountain View being undefeated and Gar-Field at 11-1-1. In the Occoquan Region (also dominantly Fairfax County), West Potomac and Alexandria City look like the favorites to secure the two spots in the state playoffs for their region.
With their strong record and first place spot in the Concorde District, it is highly likely that the Bulldogs soccer team will once again reach the regional playoffs, and they’ll have a solid chance at going to states as well. But with the competition remaining daunting in the sixth classification of Virginia high school soccer, it would take a tremendous run for Westfield to win the schools first state championship in boys soccer.
