By Erica Singleton
The Charlotte Weekly
April 17-23, 2009 Issue
The Charlotte Latin girls soccer team finished last season with a 16-3-1 record, beating Durham Academy by a goal to win the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A title.
Charlotte Latin coach Lee Horton said his team's objective every year is to peak at the end of the season. But you wouldn't know that, based on how well the Hawks have played early in the 2009 campaign.
No. 1 in Eurosportscoreboard.com's private-school rankings, the Hawks have an 8-0-1 record, with the tie coming March 9 against Weddington. Charlotte Latin has scored 29 goals while allowing just two.
Thought the Hawks have an all-state scorer in McCallie Jones, it's defense that makes them so difficult for other teams to handle.
"Defenders don't often get the recognition that scorers and goalkeepers do," Horton said, "but we have great backs who work hard and deserve a lot of credit for the team's success. Ann Griggs is a very quiet, unassuming player, but she's crucial. She plays center back for us, and she is dynamite."
Junior all-state goalie Kristin Horton, the coach's daughter, said the team's five defensive backs have laid the foundation for this year's early success.
"Defense is an important thing," she said. "Our back five (Ann Grigg, Katherine Peters, Becky Green, Morgan Holt and Jenny Roach) are amazing. They're strong in the air, they communicate with each other. (I) have a good connection (with) them."
Last season, that connection led to the Hawks allowing just 20 goals while scoring 66, en route to the title. This season, that same balance has Kristin Horton believing the Hawks have few, if any, weaknesses.
"Our midfield is really good about (finding) our forwards, and our forwards are good about laying the ball off so the midfield can then play the ball up into space," she said. "And McKay (Kirkland), McCallie and Juliet (Waller) are just really good about finishing."
Having lost four seniors from last year's squad, including all-state forward Merritt Johnson, Lee Horton is pleased with how well the Hawks have played at the start of the season.
"We're a team that's pretty familiar with itself, which is nice," the coach said. "It's just a matter of getting the freshmen on the same page."
Though many of the five freshmen have played for Horton on club teams before, he said it was really an early-season event that kicked-started the team's chemistry.
"We elected three great captains (Holt, Roach and Kirkland)," Horton explained, "and the captains organized a sleep-over. That was something the team never did last season, so I was already excited about that leadership from the captains and unity from the team early this season."
Kirkland, the lone junior captain and last year's leading scorer, said camaraderie has helped the team meet its goals.
"We have amazing team chemistry," said Kirkland. "We all get along great on and off the field. It really helps during games, because there are no hard feelings or whatever.
"We know, coming off last year's state championship, that we have the potential (to win again). We may have lost four people, but we gained that talent back in the freshmen. We know we can win. It motivates us. During practice, we tell each other (we will) win states again, and it helps a lot. Basically, our chemistry makes it easy to play."
But the Hawks haven't just enjoyed success on the field. In 2008, Charlotte Latin received the National Soccer Association of America High School Team Academic Award. Only 256 girls soccer teams across the country earned the award. Teams qualify by having a minimum 3.25 GPA; the Hawks maintained a 3.67 GPA.
"This team is great in the classroom and on the field," exclaimed Horton.
"The team also helped build a Habitat for Humanity house earlier this year.
With games scheduled this week against rivals Providence Day and Charlotte Christian, Lee Horton is especially excited because his team can begin its pursuit of a Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association title.
"We call it ruling your own backyard," he said. "We want to win locally, and that helps us get the best seed we can for state playoffs and then move on from there.
"Two years in a row, we've done a nice job of peaking at the end of the year. Our goal again (this year) is to be peaking at the end of the year and see if we can repeat (as state champions."
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