South Lakes boys soccer head coach Marty Pfister boasts perhaps his most talented and experienced team since taking the helm four seasons ago. Pfister relied heavily on the contributions of freshmen and sophomore starters in 2010, a season in which the team won only one game.
Armed with one year of experience, those same players ended last season strongly, and defeated heavily favored McLean 1-0 in the opening round of the Liberty District tournament. The Seahawks rode the momentum into the regional tournament and lost a 2-1 contest in double overtime to West Springfield.
“We paid our dues and learned how to play together,” said Pfister. “We pulled together as a team and everything came together those last three to four weeks of the season.”
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The Seahawks opened the 2012 season with a 2-0 road victory over T.C. Williams on March 15, tied Lee 2-2 on Monday and lost to Herndon 2-1 on Wednesday.
Junior defensive midfielder Suliaman Dainkeh headlines this year’s Seahawks. Just a junior, Dainkeh has verbally committed to play collegiately for the Maryland Terrapins, the coach said. He also plays for the DC United senior reserve team.
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Senior defender Mitch Dempster joins Dainkeh as one of the Seahawks’ more productive players and has already netted goals in each of the team’s two contests this season. Junior defender Dylan Katz rounds out South Lakes’ talented trio. Katz is an aggressive defender who will be called upon to provide support to Dainkeh, Dempster and the other Seahawk players.
After a brutal nine-game stretch that saw South Lakes fall behind 1-8 to start the 2011 season, Pfister’s Seahawks settled down and played their best soccer of the season in the district and regional tournament. And with nearly every player from last year’s squad returning, Seahawk players and coaches are determined to build off of their late season success.
“We when take the field this year, there’s not a game that we feel we should not win,” said Pfister. “We broke through last year and I don’t think that there’s any reason why we shouldn’t get nine or 10 victories out of our 13 games. They’re lofty goals, but you have to shoot high.”
Next up: At Edison on Friday. For complete schedule, click here.
