2021 Boys Soccer Previews
***North Brunswick, Pender and South Brunswick did not return the preview questionnaire that was sent to every coach.***
Ashley
Nick Gigliotti is the second coach in as many years and he has high expectations for the Screaming Eagles.
Ashley has finished with a winning record seven straight seasons. During that time, they’ve gone 59-18-6 in Mideastern Conference play.
Gigliotti expects the team to be fast, strong and possession oriented. A strong senior class is led by defender Jared Becken, forward Nic Lamendola and goalkeeper Alejandro Sepulveda.
Ashley’s Nic Lamendola. [Tim Hower/Coastal Preps]
The midfield should be led by juniors Caden Pierce and Colin Bates as well as sophomore Chris Crouch.
Cape Fear Academy
The Hurricanes are coming off a terrific season that saw them go 10-1 and reach the NCISAA 3A semifinals.
Six starters return from that team, including senior forward Cameron Arne. He finished with 35 points (15 goals and five assists).
Coach Meade McFarlane has another terrific young forward in freshman Adam Politi, who finished with a pair of goals and eight assists in his first season at the varsity level.
The midfield will be anchored by seniors George Wall and Jeb Losch.
CFA’s George Wall and coach Meade McFarlane. [Tim Hower/Coastal Preps]
The Hurricanes allowed only nine goals a season ago and the defense should be strong again with juniors Joey Politi and Luis Alvarez as well as senior Logan Aimone leading the way.
Coastal Christian
Coach Mike Scheffel has turned the Centurions into one of the best programs in the NCISAA.
After winning the 3A state title in 2019, Coastal Christian reached the semifinals a year ago. They’ve reached at least the semifinals each of the past five seasons.
Junior midfielder Arturo Marin is one of six starters returning from the team that started 6-0 before suffering a tough 2-1 loss to eventual champion Calvary Day School.
Coastal Christian’s Arturo Marin. [Tim Hower/Coastal Preps]
Josiah Davis is the team’s top forward and he got off to a terrific start by scoring one goal and dishing out two assists in a season-opening win last Thursday.
Coastal Christian will have a new goalkeeper, as junior Max Eskew takes over the reigns.
Scheffel thinks the strength of this year’s team is its depth. He will sub in a lot of players and try to wear down opposing teams.
Hoggard
It seems strange to say Hoggard lacks experience, but that’s the case this season.
Some of the best players off last year’s team that went 12-4 and reached the second round of the 4A playoffs decided not to play high school soccer.
That means some new faces will have to step up if the Vikings want to challenge New Hanover for the MEC title.
Coach Dwight Findlay does return Joao Barboza Filho, who scored nine goals and dished out six assists as a junior.
Hoggard’s Joao Barboza Filho. [Tim Hower/Coastal Preps]
The defense will be anchored by Perry Troutman and junior goalkeeper Andrew Stein.
Findlay also expects seniors Aidan Taylor, Hogan Meiser, Harrison Carter, Van Wilson, CJ Mungai and Jackson Bruins to make significant contributions.
Laney
The Buccaneers were extremely young a season ago and it showed in the results. The team had some ups and downs, finishing with a 6-6 record and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Laney’s Lennie Felix. [Grayson Harris/Coastal Preps]
The team’s top two scorers from a season ago decided not to play in high school this year, so the Buccaneers are going to have to find a way to replace their production.
Look for Jaxon Rackley to have a big season. He scored six goals and dished out one assist as a junior.
Sophomore forward Josue Velasquez is another player Harper has high hopes for.
The midfield will be anchored by senior Gavin Dengate, while senior Lennie Felix and junior Aiden West will be the leaders of the defense.
New Hanover
No team in the area has higher expectations than the Wildcats.
Eight starters return from last year’s team that advanced to the 3A State Championship, including a pair of dynamic goal scorers.
New Hanover moves up to the 4A classification, but will still be one of the favorites to make a return to states.
Reigning Coastal Preps Offensive Player of the Year Aidan Payne scored 27 goals and dished out nine assists in 16 matches last year. He opened his senior season with a four-goal performance in a dominant 6-0 victory over reigning 2A state champion Croatan on Monday.
Joining Payne up top is fellow senior Charlie Letson (17 goals and 10 assists) and sophomore Christian Mullins (two goals and four assists).
New Hanover’s Charlie Letson. [Tim Hower/Coastal Preps]
Sophomore Jhonny DePaz takes over as the starting goalkeeper. He likely won’t face much action thanks to the stellar defense in front of him.
Seniors Owen Hayworth and Haze Matthews are the leaders of the midfield.
Southeastern Homeschool
With no seniors on the roster, coach Ash Good has a group that should be successful for multiple years.
The Cardinals reached the NCHEAC State Tournament last year and won its opening game before suffering a 2-0 loss to Southwest Wake Homeschool in the quarterfinals. This year, their goal is to reach the championship match.
Southeastern Homeschool’s Davidson Good. [Tim Hower/Coastal Preps]
Eight other starters return, including junior midfielders Lucas Adkins and Cooper Lang.
Topsail
The Pirates made great strides a season ago under first-year coach Rob Kelly, finishing with a winning record for the first time since 2017.
With seven starters back, Kelly is hoping Topsail can challenge for a 4A playoff spot.
The strength of the team is its ability to hold possession through the midfield with senior Will Bigham, junior Tanner Kelly and freshman Maddox Kelly.
Topsail also returns one of the Mideastern Conference’s top goalkeepers in senior Andrew Benenhaley.
James Manning is the team’s top forward. Other players expected to have successful seasons are: seniors Caleb Owens and Tyler Kroma, sophomore Hayden Howell and freshman Alex West.
Trask
A senior class that has been playing together for multiple years will try to help Trask finish with a winning record for the first time since 2011.
The Titans finished 4-6-1 while playing in the difficult Coastal 8 Conference last season. They will move over to the Waccamaw Conference and should find things a bit easier.
Senior midfielders Armando Romero and Moises Gonzalez have great touch and skill. They will be joined by junior Abelardo Santiago.
Roberto Santiago will return at center back, while fellow senior Jaylan Henry is the team’s top forward.
West Brunswick
The Trojans struggled to a 2-10-2 record in 2020 and were outscored by 70 goals.
Things likely won’t be any easier this year in the always difficult Mideastern Conference.
The good news is New Hanover and Topsail move up to the 3A classification, so West Brunswick will be battling county rivals North and South for the 3A portion of the league title.
Sophomore Osler Lopez Aguilar is the top returning player, while Jonathan Gantz is a newcomer to watch.
Wilmington Christian Academy
The Patriots started a lot of underclassmen last year and the young group fared well by finishing 8-5.
A majority of those players return with the goal of making a deep playoff run.
Mason Tawes, who scored seven goals and dished out seven assists a season ago is back to lead the offense. He got his junior season off to a great start Tuesday by finishing with two goals and two assists in a 5-1 victory over Southeastern Homeschool.
WCA’s Mason Tawes. [Tim Hower/Coastal Preps]
Ryan Donaldson anchors the defense and junior Tiruneh Giammarino is a nice addition to the midfield.
WCA has a new starting goalkeeper this year, as sophomore Calloway Upchurch takes over.
