Unexpected success
Cosby High School soccer team advances to state tournament in first year of play
By Lynn Warren CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Cosby High School soccer players Kevin Anderson (left) and Ben Jessee helped lead the first-year team to the state tournament.

When Mike Anderson began coaching Cosby High School's soccer team, he never guessed the inaugural team would actually fight its way to the state tournament during its first year of play. After all, the team was at a distinct disadvantage from its competitors since Cosby opened with no senior class last fall and the roster of five freshmen, nine sophomores and eight juniors had limited varsity experience.

"All we wanted to do was to try to get things going the right way - to do things properly and possibly get some wins," recalls Anderson.

But, after a promising season, the upstart Titans 2-0 Central Region semi-final win over previously undefeated (18-0) Thomas Dale High School on May 30 earned them an automatic berth in the state tournament. The Titans then went down 3-2 in double overtime to Hanover in the championship game, but still traveled to Virginia Beach for the state quarter finals on June 5.

"We were down to Hanover 2-0 at the half, and the kids made a fantastic comeback to tie it. We are unbelievably happy about the season, and the district final was just icing on the cake," said Anderson.

In Virginia Beach, the Titans took on Eastern Regional Champion Floyd E. Kellam High School on its own field. Cosby fell behind early 1-0, but Anderson "made some adjustments," and the underdog Titans tied it up in the second half. After the end of regulation play, the game remained tied throughout the first overtime, then the second, a third and even a fourth extra period. With players Andrew Mahan and Ben Jessee knocking in penalty kicks, the Titans notched an official 2-1 victory.

The team then advanced to the AAA final four at Christopher Newport University to face a powerful Osbourn Park squad on June 8.

"We'll just go and do what we do and see what happens. We weren't supposed to be here anyway," said Anderson prior to that game.

The Titans ultimately fell 3-0 to Osbourn Park that Friday afternoon, ending a stellar season that didn't begin as initially hopeful.

Cosby's first varsity confrontation of the season was against a strong AA Powhatan team during the Midlothian Invitational. The Titans lost that opening skirmish, but learned they could be competitive. In their second game, they parlayed that recognition into a win. Midlothian went down 1-0 to the Titans. The game marked milestones as both the team's first win and the first district win for the new program.

They would split wins with powerful district opponents James River and Clover Hill during the regular season and lose to Clover Hill 2-1 in the district final on a goal in the final 20 seconds.

"I thought the year would be a success if we just learned how to play together the right way and become a team," said Anderson.

Starting with sophomore Sean Stowe, "strong goalkeeping was never in doubt," reflected Anderson. The Titans looked to juniors Kevin Anderson and Jessee for offensive leadership. "Kevin was the brains and Ben, the dangerous," said Anderson. Junior Brian Hughes and sophomore Nick DeProspero were stirred into the blend of brains and danger to make up a formidable offense. Diminutive, but "skillful and fearless" freshman Adam Nelson added offensive spark coming off of the bench.

"I was most pleased with the young players stepping up," said Anderson, citing the mid-field play of sophomore Ade Clark who "played fantastic" and freshman "big contributor" Pops Richards.

"We don't even consider them young anymore, just solid players. They have taught me to have confidence in them and that experience is not as important as I thought it was," observed Anderson.

Defensively, sophomore Partrick Murdock "had a fantastic season" and fellow sophomores Chris Snegon and Chris Lyne received the coach's nod as the most improved.

With the confidence that goalie Stowe had their backs, the team developed rapidly as the season progressed. "They have become very smart and developed a strong will to compete," said Anderson.

So, how much pressure will the team feel next year to live up to this year's unexpected success? "Next year is not in our thoughts yet," replied Anderson.