Roster turnover hasn’t hurt Olentangy; Braves want to atone for early 2021 tourney exit
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Jayden Fields and Scott Switz sat on the field in disbelief after the Olentangy boys soccer team’s 2021 season came to an abrupt end in the second round of the Division I district tournament.
The fifth-seeded Braves were stunned by 11th-seeded Thomas Worthington on a Gannon Wentz goal in overtime, losing 1-0 to finish 14-2-2.
“With the team that we had, it was a heartbreaking (ending),” said Switz, a senior forward. “In the moment, it was just frustrating. With the team that we had, the record that we had and the players we had, that (ending) should have never have happened.”
Olentangy hasn’t missed a beat this season. The Braves, who were 10-0-3 overall and 3-0-1 in the OCC-Cardinal Division after a 1-all tie with Dublin Jerome on Oct. 6, replaced nine graduates off last year’s roster almost seamlessly. They were undefeated in their last 23 regular-season games at 18-0-5.
“I was a little iffy at the beginning of (the season),” Switz said. “I didn’t know how we were going to replace all of those seniors. But obviously, it’s been working.”
Junior Luke Hanlon (15 goals, 10 assists) was Olentangy’s primary scorer through 13 games.
“His ability to score and get his shot off is just ridiculous,” said Switz, who had two goals and two assists. “He’s so aware of his surroundings all the time. He knows when to call for the ball and he knows when to shoot. He knows the proper time to play the through ball and when to shoot.”
Junior Brayden Cotterman (5 goals, 4 assists), senior Ean Encarnacion (4 goals, 4 assists), sophomore Sawyer Wilbanks (3 goals, 5 assists) and senior Anthony Barton (3 goals, 1 assist) also have been contributing offensively.
“When things are going bad, nobody is really yelling at each other,” Hanlon said. “We’re bringing each other up and telling each other to keep going.
Junior Liam McClen (52 saves) has settled into being the lone goalie behind a defense that includes Fields, a senior, and juniors Matt Manivilovski, Noah Schmidt and Keegan White. The group allowed 11 goals and had six shutouts through 13 games.
“(Overall), we just have really good chemistry, so it doesn’t matter how young we are,” Fields said. “(On defense), we hold each other very accountable for what happens. We expect high standards from each other.”
The Braves have done this after losing their top three goal scorers in Danny Leeper (15 goals, 4 assists), Jake Eby (7 goals, 6 assists) and Michael Zenios (7 goals, 5 assists) as well as one of their goalies in Tommy Chilicki (26 saves). McClen had 27 saves last season while splitting time.
Coach Kyle Hamrick knew this could be a good season for Olentangy as far back as two years ago because of the talent in the current junior and senior classes.
“When we looked at that group, we knew that we could have a high-quality season,” he said. “The way the guys have worked in the offseason in the weight room and the strength they’ve gotten and chemistry they have together with the relationships they’ve developed have all led to the season that we’ve had.”
Olentangy, which was tied for 12th in the state poll and third in the district poll, both released Oct. 3, has a win over Westerville Central (eighth in district; 2-0 on Sept. 15) as well as the tie against Celtics, who were tied for eighth in the state poll and first in the district.
The Braves, whose last regular-season loss came against Olentangy Berlin (3-0 on Sept. 14, 2021), lost the previous three meetings between the two before beating the Bears 1-0 on Sept. 13.
“We take each game as a learning opportunity,” Hamrick said. “This is educational athletics. We want our players to grow and learn within the game and in practice sessions.”
But what drives them is that 2021 tournament loss.
“That whole game has been motivational for me,” Switz said. “It’s been something to help me work harder in general. I think it’s helped us tremendously this season.”
@ThisWeekRich
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Roster turnover hasn’t hurt Olentangy boys soccer team
