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Soccer has been on the rise in America, with the sport seeming to break into mainstream culture. During the World Cup less than two years ago, students across the country watched games during school, a level of commitment that is usually reserved for March Madness and other cultural phenomena. The United States’ brief exit from Copa America still attracted the attention of millions this past summer, showcasing a growing appetite for the sport within the nation.
That enthusiasm for soccer is evident within the Severna Park community, as each of the four teams in the area experienced success in 2023.
All four finished with winning records, and there is reason to be optimistic about their potential for 2024.
Another year, another season with head coach Ryan Parisi leading a loaded Falcons team. In the years since he has become the Severna Park boys soccer coach, Parisi has established a culture of excellence at the program. In 2023, the team went undefeated in county play, going 9-0 en route to a 3-2 victory over South River in the county championship.
This level of success has become so routine for the team that 2023 almost feels like a disappointment, despite the county championship. Their 2022 team made it to the state final, and the 2021 roster reached the state semifinals. The team has become accustomed to deep runs in the state championships, so it’s no surprise that late-season success was on the forefront of Parisi’s mind when asked for the team’s primary goal next year.
“Our goal is to be playing our best soccer at the end of the season,” Parisi said. “We are looking forward to working with each of our players and watching them grow as the season progresses.”
The Falcons have big shoes to fill now that their All-County trio of Andrew Campbell, Evan Campbell and Nate Parkison has graduated, but Parisi is confident that the developmental successes of the JV squad will mitigate those losses. The team is still set to return several key seniors: All-County second-team goalie Matt Schisler, forward Sam Blake and the midfield partnership of Eneko Allen and Jason Blain. Severna Park has the potential to hoist another county championship in 2024.
Under the tutelage of longtime head coach Sean Tettemer, the Broadneck boys had a strong campaign in 2023, much like their female counterparts. However, their success on the field was ultimately overshadowed by the work of their archrivals, Severna Park. The Bruins finished with another winning record, going 11-5 and appearing in the regional finals.
But unfortunately for the Bruins, Leonardtown proved to be too much for them to handle, as Broadneck ultimately faltered in a crushing 2-1 defeat. It was a tough way to end the season for Broadneck, as the team hasn’t made it to a state semifinal since 2018, and they haven’t been to a state final since 2005. The team is hoping that they can make a deeper playoff run in 2024, but the amount of roster turnover they’re experiencing might make that difficult.
Broadneck lost longtime goalkeeper Matt Tettemer, as well as All-County midfielder Harlan Welsh, key forward Patrick Robillard and several defenders including Sam Petz and Ethan Colon. It will be a year of transition for the Bruins, who are going to have to rely on underclassmen to step up in a big way.
Junior Brady Miller should be able to lead the defense, Wilson Banwell is set for a big sophomore season in the attack, and senior Jed Meehan is expected to be a cog in the midfield. But if Broadneck can unearth some more unforeseen contributors, they could be a tough out.
In 2023, the Admirals went 12-2-2 and had the opportunity to win a third consecutive conference title. The team made a deep playoff run, going to the MIAA conference championship before falling to St. Paul’s in a 2-1 affair. Head coach Mike McCarthy isn’t a big fan of losing, and he made that fact clear when asked where he was setting his sights in 2024.
“This year, the Admirals are laser-focused on one goal: getting back to the championship,” McCarthy stated. “Getting back to the championship will require the team to maintain our strong defensive identity, while also finding consistency in our attack.”
Graduating talents Hudson Lamb, Alex Mussog and Matt Sotiropoulos are leaving holes to fill in various aspects of the team, but McCarthy is confident in the team’s ability to adapt to these changes. The Admirals are set to return seven starters, with a mix of four seniors and three juniors. The team will need to rely on underclassmen to step up into the other four spots in the lineup, but they have the talent to fill those gaps with ease.
The attack is going to be led by striker Will Cawlfield, but other seniors, including Nick Melfi and John Caswell, are also expected to contribute. If Sam Long, Mike Burns and other juniors can continue to progress in their starting roles, the team could be in the conference championship come November.
Since even before the COVID-interrupted 2020 season, Spalding’s soccer team has floundered in the MIAA conference. The team has not had a winning campaign since 2012, when the Cavaliers barely managed to secure a winning record by finishing 8-7-1. Head coach Fred Sporrer has been with the team since 2021, but it only took him three seasons to flip the team’s fortunes.
In 2023, Sporrer led the team to a 9-6-4 record, taking them to the MIAA conference semifinals before falling to Loyola Blakefield. The team hasn’t seen this level of success in over a decade, and now that Sporrer has a taste of it, his desire for postseason progress has become insatiable.
“Our primary goal is to build on last year’s semifinal MIAA bid and continue to compete in the postseason,” Sporrer said. “Our group is much younger this year but full of quality players ready to step up and compete.”
The team’s 2024 first-team All-County players, Declan Karney and Brett Rice, graduated in the spring. Thus, there’s going to be massive holes to fill for the Cavaliers, but with the talent that he’s expected to return, Sporrer has enough reasons to feel optimistic. Marco Mazzola has been a key player for Spalding since he arrived on campus, and he’s expected to lead a strong senior class that features Kyle Crawford and Quinn Conlan. And as for the underclassmen, Mo Lonergan and Christian Sporrer both showed sparks in camp.
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