Sports
B-CC Soccer Teams Both Aiming for State Titles
The Barons' girls team has won five state championships since 2001. The boys, meanwhile, have two during that same span.
GIRLS
and Vic Gersh may be gone, but that doesn’t mean Bethesda-Chevy Chase coach Rob Kurtz is tempering his expectations for the Barons’ girls soccer team.
B-CC has won five state championships during Kurtz’s 11 years as head coach, including each of the last three seasons.
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The Barons defeated Bowie, 4-1, in last year’s Class 4A state championship game.
“It’s going to be an interesting year,” Kurtz said. “We’re learning to cope without two great players, and a great senior class from last year, but the girls are working very hard and I think we’re really going to be really good.”
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Four-year varsity starters Kara Klontz, a defender, and Hannah Levin, a midfielder, will be largely depended on to lead this season’s team. Kurtz is also excited about the potential of sophomore midfielder Eliza Doll, Alex’s younger sister, and junior goalie Angela White, who he says has had a great preseason.
“This is a different crop of players,” Kurtz said. “But the sophistication’s still there, the talent level is still there, the love and desire for the game are still there. The players obviously want to continue what’s been started here.”
He added, “We’re going to do the best we can, but I think we’re going to be quite good as the season goes on.”
AT A GLANCE
HEAD COACH: Rob Kurtz, 11th year
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 16-2-2
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS: midfielder Eliza Doll, defender Kara Klontz, midfielder Hannah Levin, goalie Angela White
KEY LOSSES: midfielder Alex Doll, forward Vic Gersh
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Quality depth
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: Not having a proven top-flight scorer like Gersh
SCHEDULE
9/10 Good Counsel
9/13 @Northwood
9/16 Quince Orchard
9/20 Blake
9/22 @Rockwood
9/27 Northwood
10/4 @Walter Johnson
10/11 Churchill
10/13 Wootton
10/17 @Richard Montgomery
10/19 Whitman
10/24 Sherwood
BOYS
Although it finished 8-3-3, Bethesda-Chevy Chase boys soccer coach Guillermo Melendez feels his team underachieved to certain degree last season.
“Our performance was disappointing at times because of the level of players we had,” Melendez said. “But the question this year is going to be whether we can rise to our potential.”
Melendez thinks the Barons will, and says, “If we can, we can go very far in the playoffs.”
B-CC returns six of its 11 starters – goalie Coby Friedman, midfielder Collin Martin, defender Cy McNeill, forward Freddi Nzekele, midfielder Robert Palmer and midfielder Noah Riskind - from last year’s team that fell to Northwest in the Class 4A West quarterfinals.
“Our first goal is to win our division,” Melendez said, “but our main goal is to win states. I’m not going to say that anything short of that is going to be a disappointment, but our goal is certainly to win states this year. And if the kids play to their potential, and develop chemistry, I really think we have a shot.”
AT A GLANCE
HEAD COACH: Guillermo Melendez, second year
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 8-3-3
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS: goalie Coby Friedman, midfielder Collin Martin, defender Cy McNeill, forward Freddi Nzekele, midfielder Robert Palmer, midfielder Noah Riskind
KEY LOSSES: midfielder Tim Alexander, defender/forward Ben Gold, defender Tim McKay, defender Stephen Sawicki, midfielder/forward Bradley Vorv
BIGGEST STRENGTHS: Overall skill with the ball and the team’s ability to move the ball around the field as a team
BIGGEST QUESTION MARK: Chemistry
SCHEDULE
9/13 Northwood
9/16 @Quince Orchard
9/20 @Blake
9/22 Rockville
9/27 @Northwest
10/4 @Walter Johnson
10/11 Churchill
10/13 Wootton
10/17 @Richard Montgomery
10/19 Whitman
10/24 Sherwood
