From winless to winners

The Oakland Mills boys’ soccer program has struggled to get its footing over the last few years. The team had a record of 0-14 last year and 3-11 the year before. The lack of wins led to disappointment and a loss of hope among many players. However, this soccer season, something has changed. 

These were not easy victories either; OM soccer defeated Howard in week one. Then faced Mt. Hebron, where Foreign Exchange student Lorenzo Zängle had a game-winning goal to win 1-0. They then went to Reservoir High School and defeated their soccer team 2-1. This was one of only two losses on Reservoir’s season as they went 9-2-1, and was the only home loss for the Reservoir soccer program this year.  

This year, the team is coached by Alex Douyon, the former OM varsity girls’ soccer coach. This coaching decision proved to be extremely beneficial since the team has seemingly found a new spark with Douyon at the helm. They broke off three victories in a row to start the season, which came as a pleasant surprise to the school and the players. “I never expected us to be this good. I was so used to losing that winning felt like a dream,” said Senior Mathias Dawit. “I feel that everyone respects Douyon… the coach knows what he’s doing, and we understand how to play. Many of our best players were ready to quit, but when they saw Douyon was coaching, [they] decided to stay,” continued Dawit.

Though the team went 1-7-1 in the regular season since that amazing 3-0 start, they have high hopes for the post season and the future of the team. They were 4-7-1 heading into the playoffs, and were hoping to knock off some wins. They succeeded in this by defeating Atholton 3-2 in the first round, and on Friday, October 25, the boys went to Reservoir to play in the Regional Semifinals, where they won 1-0. Tuesday, October 27, they played Sherwood in Montgomery County in the Regional Championship. 

This season was definitely not one to forget, and they hope to carry this newfound success into many years to come. Douyon is here to stay, and Howard County is definitely noticing Oakland Mills Soccer.