Warhorses capture flawless conference championship
Owen soccer defeats Mountain Heritage, 4-0, to cap unblemished WHC campaign
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 27, 2022
When 11 seniors stepped on the field in Warhorse Stadium, Oct. 26, for their final regular season home game, the Owen soccer team was looking to secure its 21st straight Western Highlands Conference victory while collecting its third consecutive title.
As the Warhorses overwhelmed Mountain Heritage, 4-0, they wrapped up a campaign in which they didn’t allow a goal in conference play.
Owen recognized its large core of seniors, most of whom were playing the final regular season game of a four-year career with the team, before the match. Each player was escorted to the field by family members, where they were greeted by first-year head coach Trei Morrison, principal, Samantha Sircey and loud ovations from the home crowd.
Seniors embraced before play began while the Warhorses quickly regrouped to take possession in the opening minutes and pressuring the defense of the Cougars, who entered the match with a 10-1-1 mark. Senior Nino Luther put his team ahead in the 24th minute, outmaneuvering a Mountain Heritage defender on the left side with an athletic slide for his 6th goal of the year.
With a 1-0 lead coming out of the halftime break, sophomore Davis Kendall launched an all-out assault on the Cougars goal. The striker, who leads the Warhorses with 35 goals this season, worked his way to the front of the net from the right side, blasting a powerful kick with his left in the 21st minute of the second half.
He added two more goals in the half to record his sixth match with 3 or more goals this season, including a pair of 5-goal performances against Draughn and Avery.
With the victory over Mountain Heritage, the Warhorses finished a season in which they outscored WHC opponents by a combined total of 65-0.
“It’s really special because everybody thinks of us as this attacking team that scores a lot of goals,” Morrison said after the match. “But, it’s been a long time since we’ve given up a goal and the players are really proud of that.”
Owen, which finished the regular season, 16-2-1, allowed only 7 goals in 2022, and none since a 2-1 loss to Hibriten on Sept. 12. Senior goalkeeper Nolan Swoap has successfully saved 30 of the 38 shots he’s faced this season.
“When we lose the ball our guys do a great job of getting it back as quickly as possible,” Morrison said. “It really shows the players what hard work can do for you, both in games and in life, because they go hard every day for this team.”
The foundation for the team’s work ethic was built by the seniors and his predecessor David Fiest, according to Morrison, who took over as the Owen soccer coach three games into the season.
“As a new head coach, I don’t think I could be any luckier than to step into a situation that had these kinds of players and this kind of leadership,” he said. “Credit to Coach Fiest for building a great team, and credit to these seniors for the way they led it through the transition.”
Owen will likely host an opening round playoff match when the NCHSAA 2A State Championship tournament begins, Monday, Oct. 31, with seeding to be announced, Friday, Oct. 28.
Photos of Owen soccer Senior Night and the Warhorses conference championship win over Mountain Heritage can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.