THE GAZETTE
Page B-4
Wednesday, September 18, 2013 d
Good Counsel keeps on winning n
Falcons replace scoring void with a committee
HOW THEY RANK Girls’ soccer n 1. Good Counsel
n 2. Holy Cross Seven different players not named Midge Purce n 3. B.-Chevy Chase scored the Our Lady of Good n 4. Walt Whitman Counsel High School girls’ soccer team’s seven goals n 5. Winston Churchill in two games played in Tennessee over the weekend. Boys’ soccer The Falcons defeated n 1. Landon School the defending Tennessee state champion Brentn 2. Walter Johnson wood, 5-1, and then tied n 3. Good Counsel the host Franklin, which had defeated Good Counn 4. Walt Whitman sel’s Washington Catholic n 5. Wootton Athletic Conference rival Bishop O’Connell (Va.) by two goals earlier in the week. In five games, eight different players have scored for Good Counsel (2-0-3), settling some early questions about how the Falcons would move on from the graduation of the program’s all-time leading scorer, Purce, who is cur-
SOCCER NOTEBOOK
Good Counsel player returns to Damascus BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER
Seven years ago, current sixthyear Damascus High School girls’ soccer coach Katie Chapman was coaching the Baker Middle School boys’ team. “I wanted to coach the girls so I would always go over and watch them,” Chapman said. On that squad was current Swarmin’ Hornets senior midfielder Amanda Amankwa. Chapman was impressed, she said. “I mostly got to see practices,” Chapman said. “I saw that [Amankwa] had an eye for the goal and was sending some great balls through, even at the middle school level.” After Amankwa’s transfer out of Our Lady of Good Counsel back
to her home school for 2013-14, Chapman finally has the talented playmaker on her team. Amankwa spent three seasons with the perennially nationallyranked Falcons and was a contributing factor in the team’s offense the past two. Amankwa’s arrival could be just what the historically competitive Swarmin’ Hornets need to get over the Class 3A West Region final hump and back to the state tournament for the first time since their debut in 2003. “It’s exciting, we’re excited to have Amanda here,” Chapman said. “She reads the game well and knows where she is going before she gets the ball. She’s fit in and all the girls are playing well together.” It helps that Amankwa isn’t a total newcomer. She spent several years playing with many of her current Damascus teammates for the Damascus Sparks travel club team. Rejoining them, she said, has been a comfortable transition. And the team has been quite welcoming, Chapman said, which might not have always been the
at the door of a state semifinal appearance the past few years, but has fallen just short. Amankwa said she hopes to be a part of making school history with the Swarmin’ Hornets firstever state title. It’s not out of the realm of possibility. Damascus (3-0) has outscored its opponents 13-1 in its first three contests, which includes a 2-0 win over 1998 state champion and Class 4A Thomas S. Wootton. Six years ago when Chapman took over the Damascus soccer program, she probably didn’t think she’d have to wait so long for Amankwa to arrive. But now that she has, it almost feels like she’s been there all along. “I knew [Amankwa] when she played at Baker, I was the boys’ soccer coach at the time,” Chapman said. “I knew about her talent then and I’m excited to have her here now.” jbeekman@gazette.net
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HELIO SOUZA
Boys It’s been a good few months for two standouts from Bethesda-Olney Academy’s U17/18 team as former Walter Johnson midfielder Jeremy Ebobisse and Chase Gasper both were called up to the U-18 United States men’s national team domestic training camp Sept. 22-29 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. During the summer, the pair attended a U.S. Soccer Nike combine in Portland, Ore., and will again travel to the West Coast to play with some of the nation’s elite upand-coming players. Also related to Bethesda, former AC Bethesda forward Patrick Tshiani signed a professional contract with Standard Liège of the Belgian League. Tshiani played for AC Bethesda’s U-14, U-15 and U-16 teams and last year was active with Royal Sporting Club, Anderlecht FC U19. Meanwhile, as of Sunday night in Montgomery County, only seven undefeated teams remained: Walter Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Northwest, Gaithersburg, Montgomery Blair, Watkins Mill and Springbrook. jbeekman@gazette.net; ncammarota@gazette.net 1906764
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case with past teams. The cohesion on this year’s squad could turn out to be a differentiating factor in the team’s success Chapman said. Amankwa has already meshed with the talented core of seven seniors that has been on varsity for three to four years. Her creativity in the middle and ability to move forward as well plays right into Damascus’ possession style offense, Chapman said. Her strengths complement those of her fellow midfielders, classmates Annika Leiby and Steph Cox and leading scorer Katie Kirschenmann (six goals). “[Amankwa] has still been a neighbor, she lives in this area, she just hasn’t been a schoolmate,” Chapman said. “The chemistry with these girls is amazing.” Amankwa played a part in Good Counsel’s eighth Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title a year ago, but there’s something special about trying to win a state tournament, she said. Damascus has been knocking
rently in her freshman season at Harvard University. Imani Dorsey, Nia Dorsey, Courtney Parr, Dana Reed and Julia Abbott scored against Brentwood, Maddie Pack and Kori Locksley recorded shots against Franklin. “Scoring is coming from everyone and it’s good,” longtime Good Counsel coach Jim Bruno said. “This team is spreading the ball around and I feel like [having so many scorers] gives them the confidence that everyone can score. ”
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After three years with Falcons, Amankwa could push Swarmin’ Hornets to next level n
BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN AND NICK CAMMAROTA
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Damascus High School soccer player Amanda Amankwa at practice on Wednesday Sept. 11.