Nearly a year since the Williams High School boys soccer team had last lost a game, head coach Jeremy Krist continues to repeat the same message.
“We set very short-term goals,” he said Monday night. “We just say, ‘Tonight, our goal is to go 1-0.’”
Williams had again accomplished that goal, blanking rival Eastern Alamance, 4-0. On Tuesday, the Bulldogs extended their unbeaten streak to 16 games — running past Person, 9-0.
Even with a Thursday night loss to Western Alamance, their first of the season, this year’s Bulldogs have established themselves as a favorite to win the 3A state title. Williams was the last 3A team in the NCHSAA to take a defeat.
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And though Krist’s game-by-game approach still applies, he admits that the ultimate goal is a state championship.
“We just wanted to play good soccer all year,” Krist said after Monday’s win. “Being undefeated or not losing a game, that’s not the goal. This team is pretty focused on the end game, and you hope that you end the season with a win.”
After a third-round playoff exit to First Flight a year ago -- while the rival Warriors went on to win a state title -- leading goal scorer Max Sommar said they’ve kept 2021’s finish in mind.
“It’s kind of set in the back of our head, I mean you obviously don’t want to go out that way,” said Sommar, who has 16 goals and 13 assists. “We kind of wanted to go, we thought that was the year. But we’re doing well this year, so we’re hoping this is it now and we’re just going to look to do better than last year.”
The group leading this year’s pack of Bulldogs is experienced — their five leading scorers are all seniors who were on campus for Williams’ first and only state championship in 2019. Eight of the top-10 Bulldogs scorers this year are upperclassmen.
Krist said the team’s experience has made his job easier this season.
“When you’re experienced, things can happen without you having to say a lot,” he said. “Chemistry-wise, they just love to play soccer. There’s just not a whole lot of coaching, they go out there, knock it around and try to find open areas and try to get in.”
Williams has reached the back of the net with ease this season — outscoring its opponents by 45 goals to this point — but goalkeeping has been equally key to the Bulldogs’ success. Junior keeper Ian Kirk has 86 saves, an average of just over five per game, with nine shutouts.
“Right now, confidence is sky high,” Kirk said. “We all love each other and love spending time together.”
Following Monday’s win, Sommar pulled a 2019 state championship shirt over his head. He was a freshman then, and didn’t contribute a goal throughout the title-winning campaign. But as one of the most integral members of this year’s squad, Sommar said he wants to go out the same way he came in: as a champion.
“We want to go out the way those guys did,” he said. “Most careers aren’t going to end in a state championship. But if we’re the one team that does, as the seniors, it's going to feel really great. It’s been sitting in the back of our mind.”
This article originally appeared on Times-News: Williams soccer's little goals adding up to big hopes of another state title
