One Heartbeat

More than once in recent weeks, Rob Ukrop has fielded one version or another of the same question: How good are you guys?

 

Collegiate’s boys varsity soccer coach doesn’t undersell as coaches sometimes do when they’re trying to keep the pressure off a special team in the midst of a special season.

 

“This is a terrific team,” Ukrop responds. “I’d say it’s the best Collegiate soccer team we’ve had in the last 20 years. This has nothing to do with (assistant coach) Shep (Lewis) or me. We just have this great collection of personalities and characters that have made the commitment to be great soccer players but, more important, have made the commitment to be just this one heartbeat.

"They have each other’s backs. Whether a kid starts or comes off the bench – the bench mafia – they have this great spirit and embrace their roles.”

 

With three weeks left in the season, the Cougars stand 15-0, first in the Prep League (4-0), and No. 1 in the latest Virginia Association of Independent Schools poll.

 

They’ve outscored opponents 59-8 and recorded 10 shutouts.

 

Matthew Jenkins (12 goals, nine assists: 33 points), Porter Vaughan (12 goals, six assists: 30 points), Will Neuner (eight goals, two assists: 18 points), and Robert Westermann (three goals, 11 assists: 17 points) lead the team in scoring. Starting goalie Collin Kimball-McKavish has surrendered just three goals and has a .228 goals-against average.

 

These are noteworthy numbers, to be sure, but Ukrop cites another that speaks to the intangible that unites this squad.

 

“The best stat I can give,” he said, “is that we had 26 kids that rode the bus up to Blue Ridge last Friday. Not a single kid rode back with his parents. They all wanted to ride the bus together. They just have that camaraderie and sense of togetherness.”

 

Seniors Colin Ryan, David Cheon, and Neuner are tri-captains and four-year starters.

 

“Our team is incredible,” said Cheon, referenced as “our engine” by Ukrop.  “Everyone plays with a smile on his face. We try to stay positive. Rob has a huge influence on that positivity. We have a great team bond and a mentality of being respectful toward one another. That’s really helped us.”

 

While the Cougars have knocked off traditional league and state powers St. Christopher’s (2-1), Woodberry Forest (2-0), and Norfolk Academy (4-0), the toughest part of their schedule looms.

 

Friday at 4 p.m., they host Cape Henry Collegiate, the three-time defending state champion (’17, ’18, ’19) who are 10-1-1 and ranked second in the VISAA.

 

Tuesday at 7 p.m., they face No. 4 St. Christopher’s (8-3-2) under the lights at City Stadium.

 

Games with Christchurch and Benedictine follow with the VISAA tournament scheduled Nov. 5-12.

 

Conventional wisdom suggests that the Cougars are the team to beat and that they find themselves in a high-pressure, much-to-lose situation. Yes, to the former. Not so much, to the latter.

 

“We know the pressure’s coming, but it’s just a matter of being focused and not letting the nerves affect us. ,” said Cheon, who’s back in the lineup after missing several weeks with a hand injury. “We know there’s a target on our back. We know we’ll get every team’s 100 percent effort. Everyone wants to beat us. Everyone wants to break that undefeated streak.

 

“We’ve done a really good job of staying confident. We know we can beat anyone, but we know we have to go hard and have the mentality that we’re going to play our Collegiate game: pass the ball and score goals.”

 

There have been four undefeated seasons in the history of Collegiate boys soccer. All included ties except in 1990 when Coach Charlie Blair’s Hall of Fame squad went 19-0-0.

 

Unbeaten-through-15, then, is uncharted territory for the ’21 side. Matching (and surpassing) previous success requires buy-in, which, of course, is no issue at all.

 

“We’re playing really good teams,” said Westermann, a four-year varsity performer and two-season starter at center defensive midfield. “We treat any game like every other game regardless of rankings or who played who or who beat who.

 

“Rob has emphasized that the score never really shows how the game actually went. The score could be 1-0 and one team dominated but the other team got a lucky goal. We’re not really worried about the score. We just focus on how we play, and regardless of win or lose, if we played well, we’re happy.”

 

Which doesn’t mean even for a millisecond that the Cougars don’t have league and state title aspirations.

 

“The challenge lately is that a lot of people have been telling us how good we are,” Ukrop said. “We’re trying to slowly walk through the process. Ever since I can remember, Collegiate’s been the hunter. Now, we’re being hunted by everybody. We prepare like each day is a new day. The first 15 games don’t matter. Let’s reset. Let’s refresh. Let’s go after it and compete together and show people why we’re such a tough out.”

 

When Ukrop speaks, people, certainly his players, listen. To say that he was an accomplished player, competitor nonpareil, and ultra-successful coach is an understatement. He understands the moment. He understands the bigger picture.

 

“One thing we keep reminding our kids is that the goal is to play beautiful soccer every day,” he said. “Soccer is the cruelest game in the world. Anything can happen. This should be fun. When you go out there and compete with your teammates and classmates, guys that you have this wonderful chemistry and bond with, let’s be joyful.

 

“Whatever happens, we can move on to the next game. Everybody wants to win championships, but win, lose, or draw, what lasts forever are these memories: being on the field, riding the bus, winning, losing…the shared experiences.

 

“When you come back for your fifth, your 10^th, or your 30^th high school reunions, we’re going to have some laughs about the funny things that happened in practice and the games. We remind them to create memories. Don’t get me wrong. We want to win. That’s the goal. But we also want to make sure we have a joyful experience together.”

 

In addition to Neuner, Ryan, Cheon, and Westermann, four seniors, Jack Hill, James Beeghly, Ethan Tabassian, and Josh Chilmaid, are entering the final stretch of their high school soccer careers.

 

“We have fantastic leaders,” Ukrop said.  “They have perspective. They laugh. They get along. They compete. They fight for each other.”

~Weldon Bradshaw