West Forsyth goal keeper Riley Powell directs the defense in the Titans' 3-2 win on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024.
MARC PRUITT Staff Reporter
The boys soccer team at West Forsyth continues to roll along with a new coach who has the team in familiar territory.
John Blake, who previously coached at Ledford, was hired to replace Jeffrey Williams in February. Blake stepped into a program that was returning plenty of experience from last season's team that finished 20-1-2, with its lone loss coming in the second round of the NCHSAA 4-A state tournament.
The Titans are 17-0-1 (9-0, Central Piedmont 4-A) after Monday's 3-1 win against Glenn and are ranked at the No. 1 4-A team in the state by MaxPreps.
"I knew they were really good last year," Blake said. "They were extremely good all around but hadn't scored a lot of goals, which was my focus coming into the season. Can we outscore people and defend?
"I wanted to set a new standard for them. We didn't want to just be OK with being undefeated in the regular season. Let's take that to another level."
Nine of the 11 starters this season are seniors, including Haegen Paschold and Abiel Lopez- Dominguez.
Paschold was the offensive player of the year in the conference last season after leading the league with 21 goals and 14 assists. He has equaled both of those thresholds already with five games remaining in the regular season.
Lopez-Dominguez was second in the conference in goals last season with 14, and also had 13 assists. He has 16 goals and five assists through 18 games this season.
Josh Medel, another four-year varsity player, has 10 assists this season, which is second in the conference.
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"We've got weapons and we have a pretty good dynamic with those guys," Blake said. "We tell them every day that we've got great weapons and that we need to use them. In addition to that, we've got a great supporting cast. Ethan Barghout is also a great midfielder for us, and he helps connect those guys. Our attack is certainly one of our strengths. Our back line might be one of the best in the state. They are just solid, and we have two all-state caliber center backs, which is also nice to have."
Blake also pointed to the standout play in goal with Milo Lester and Riley Powell. The Titans have allowed just 16 goals through their first 18 games. They have scored 80 goals so far this season after scoring 78 last season in 23 games.
"I think the transition has gone very smoothly," Paschold said. "Coach Blake and I clicked from that first day we met in the media center when he got the job. We have strong senior leadership and having that type of experience on the team is incredible. I've played with Abiel and Josh every day for the last four years. You kind of forget about the great season we had last year because we lost in the second round of the playoffs. Winning the regular season is great. Winning the conference is great, but ultimately, we all want to win that state championship."
Lopez-Dominguez said he also connected with Blake right away, but for different reasons.
"He looked like a guy who wasn't going to play around," Lopez-Dominguez said with a laugh. "He told us all that it was our team and that he wanted to build people first and players second. That has really stuck with me. Losing like we did last year in the playoffs was a big disappointment. That has definitely motivated all the seniors that were here last year."
Blake said that the only blemish on the team's record - a 3-3 tie against Watauga on Aug. 19 - really helped the team re-focus.
"We beat two really good teams in our first two games in Lake Norman and Mooresville," Blake said. "And Watauga, which is also a really good team, tied us. That game stretched us out. It humbled us. It woke us up a little bit. We figured out how tough we were in that one and things have been pretty good since. That's the kind of game you like to have early in the season."
Blake said that the team is aware of all of the outside chatter surrounding them and their state ranking.
"It's hard not to see and hear all of that with social media now," he said.
"Instead of shying away from it, we embrace it. It's pressure. It's a privilege to be good. We don't worry about the ranking. We just need to continue to play to our standards. We expect them to play to that level."
After a brief pause, Blake added with a laugh, "And if they don't, practice will be a lot different."
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