Shuart shines for boys

MISAL champions times three

Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

The Calverton junior was planning on sitting out the fall sports season. But just before the team's first game of the season, he changed his mind. He's glad he did.

Calverton survived a scare and went on to defeat Washington Christian Academy 3-1 in the Maryland Independent Schools Athletic League boys soccer final Tuesday at Anne Arundel Community College.

"I wasn't going to play a sport," Shuart said. "But [I knew from] just stepping on the field and having the guys around me at practice that we had a special team. It was a great decision."

"He wanted to come back but I said, ‘You have to go through preseason like everybody else' and he did it," Calverton head coach Kwame Darko said. "He literally did it. While we were playing [regular season games], he was running."

And while Shuart was doing his requisite laps, the Cougars were off and running as well. After dropping their first game of the year –– a 5-2 decision to St. Andrew's –– Calverton went 10-0-2 the rest of the way and finished the season with six straight wins, the last a tough victory over the Wildcats.

"I'm really ecstatic. It's great to go out on top," said Calverton senior Brian Bowling, who was named MISAL player of the year. "It was a great team effort and I was really proud to play for Calverton this year."

"I feel great," said senior Mike Burgos, who had a goal and an assist. "It was an excellent way to end my four years. Perfect."

Darko added: "This is what we worked for in the beginning and we got it, we got it."

Though Calverton dominated throughout the regular season, one of its two ties –– a 3-3 deadlock on Sept. 18 –– was against Washington Christian.

But the Cougars (12-2-2) wasted no time getting on the board when Will Lerch sped past the defense and slid a shot past Wildcats goalkeeper Ryan Albach (nine saves) in the 10th minute.

"We know how they played [us] earlier in the season," Burgos said, "so we knew we had to come out strong and we did."

Calverton had a great opportunity to increase its lead 11 minutes later when Burgos was awarded a penalty kick, but his laser was tipped up and off the crossbar.

There was nothing Albach could do a minute later, though, when Ty Jensen converted Burgos' cross through the box.

But just when it seemed the Cougars would run away and hide, the Wildcats (10-1-2) stunned Calverton when a long shot found its mark with just eight seconds remaining in the half.

"That was a crusher," Darko said. "That was one of those psychological things where we went, ‘Oh no, this is not what we want.' We talked to the kids [at halftime] and told them that they were going to come out on fire and they did."

"It was a little demoralizing, but we came back strong in the second half," Bowling said. "It was terrible that they scored; I wish we had held them off, but we came back strong and finished really well."

That they did, thanks in large part to Burgos, who drilled in a shot from well out in the 45th minute to all but put the Wildcats on ice.

"A moment of absolute brilliance," Burgos said when asked about his goal and its ensuing celebration, in which he raced to the sideline and slid, arms raised, toward the bleachers. "The goal was nice, but as long as we got the win, it was perfect. It was difficult watching the [late Washington Christian] goal go in, but we came out and played strong in the second half like we did in the first and I think it really helped us."

"The first five minutes were key for us," Darko said, "and [we] responded to that and, ‘Boom,' we got a goal and were good to go."

Despite having a player sent off after a red card in the 66th minute, the Wildcats pressed and came close to pulling to within a goal but Calverton goalie John Seymour dove across the box, batted it down, and defender Liam Campbell cleared it out of harm's way.

"It was a really good game and just sliding around in the mud was a great feeling," Bowling said of the muddy, rain-slicked field. "Overall it was a great effort."

The Cougars said they knew early on the 2009 version of the team could be a good one.

"We always knew we were special after last year," Burgos said, "[especially] just watching the team progress and mature as we went along."

"Going into this season, I definitely knew we were going to rebuild somewhat," Darko said. "I just wanted to make sure they were doing the right things, the simple things, the technical things, the basic stuff. We're not the most athletic team, we have some athletes, but we're smart.

"I laid out the road in front of them and you choose to follow or you choose not to and they definitely chose to follow and it showed."

mreid@somdnews.com