Celebrating Another Championship

By: Devin Munroe '16

To celebrate the men’s varsity soccer team’s amazing season, it seemed only fitting to interview their senior team captain, Doug Hill. Here are some of his thoughts on the season.

Question:       What words come to mind when you think of your team?

Doug Hill:      Energetic, fun, composed, and hard working.

Question:       What do you think made your team so successful this season?

Hill:                Our team was so successful primarily because we showed up to practice each day ready to compete with one another and work hard. It was clear that this kind of work ethic paid off in each game. Also, everyone had each other’s backs and was always there to support one another on the field. Coach McCarthy’s coaching was great and he always knew where to position us on the field so that we could be successful. Overall, this team was just incredibly talented.

Question:       Who are your team’s unsung heroes?

Hill:                Our unsung hero this year was definitely Henry Creamer. In my opinion, he was the huge reason we had as much success as we did this year. After our first few games it was unclear who our starting defensive four would be.  We wanted to move up Everett Cortez to striker but were unsure about who would fill his place on defense. Henry came in and proved to be a key component on the team and did a tremendous job.

Question:       What is your favorite memory from this season?

Hill:                My personal favorite memory from the season would have to be the championship game versus Boys Latin. We had lost to and tied the Lakers during the regular season and I was thrilled to know that we were playing them again in the championship. Playing Boys Latin is always a bloodbath regardless of the sport; our schools just don’t get along very well on the field. However, it was a great experience to be in the championship game and even better to win it. Our team played well and possessed the ball for most of the game and got plenty of scoring opportunities. The back four defended well and we limited Boys Latin to very few scoring chances. It was a competitive game that I will never forget.

Question:       Most intense game?

Hill:                The most intense game of the year was against Severna Park early in the season. The Severna Park game is always highly competitive mostly due to the fact that both teams know each other so well. I for one knew every single player on their team and their coach used to coach me when I was younger. The rivalry between Severn and Severna Park goes back decades, which adds to the intensity of the game. This year we got the 1-0 win over them for the first time in seven years. The last forty seconds of the game were the most intense seconds that I have ever experienced in a soccer game. They hit our crossbar and then the ball was bouncing around our box. Bodies were bouncing all over the place as they kept shooting the ball and finally we were able to clear the ball out to end the game.