Battlefield’s Jordan Savage looks for a teammate to pass to during his team’s 2-1 road win over Osbourn Park on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
Battlefield’s Jordan Savage looks for a teammate to pass to during his team’s 2-1 road win over Osbourn Park on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
The Battlefield High School boys soccer program went 15-0 in the regular season, giving up only six goals in the process.
That perfect mark was a bit of a pleasant surprise for senior co-captain Jordan Savage.
“I will be completely honest, I did not think we would be this good this year,” said Savage, who will be playing at Virginia Military Institute next fall. “It surprised me, but it is a testament of everybody’s work here, everybody just constantly working on and off the field. Most people are practicing after practice, too, and it’s showing.”
The Bobcats (18-0) lost eight starters from last year’s regional championship squad and started a new full-time keeper and two freshmen defenders. But they are on the cusp of returning to states for the second straight year thanks to their commitment to defending and the chemistry forged between teammates both on and off the field.
The Bobcats host Colgan Tuesday in the region semifinals at 5:30 p.m. The winner advances to the state quarterfinals.
That includes pizza runs after home games and bus trips after away games where Savage helps everybody rock to the same beat.
“Get everybody singing, get everybody feeling included,” Savage said of those victory rides.
“They all are hard-working guys,” said coach Wes Homan. “They all get along, and they are willing to work for each other, pull for each other and help each other no matter what.”
Savage and co-captain centerback Luke Smith, who has committed to the University of Mary Washington, have led the way with their leadership and skills on the field. Savage is Battlefield’s leading scorer with 14 goals and 14 assists.
“Having Luke back there, to be that leader, to be that person … who keeps everything together has been absolutely crucial to us this entire year,” Homan said.
“I have played with Luke for a long time, so I know if the ball is ever coming in from behind, coming to him, I don’t really worry about it too much,” Savage said. “If it’s one-on-one, two-on-one, I trust him.”
Conversely, Smith highlighted Savage’s dribbling skills and described his free kicks as “terrifying.”
“We need him on this team to win,” Smith said. “He gets assists, scores, he’s just like a complete player.”
Seeing Kellam record its first perfect season and Division 6 state championship last year is something to aspire to, Homan said. Last year, the senior-laden Bobcats squad had its postseason momentum squashed by the wildfires that drifted from Canada and interrupted crucial training time heading into the state tournament.
After Battlefield played one of its best games of the year – a 2-1 win in the regional final over Forest Park – the smoke forced postponement of the state quarterfinals and the cancellation of several practices. Three days after they were supposed to play, the Bobcats were blanked by Landstown 2-0 in the quarterfinals. It was Battlefield’s first state tournament appearance since losing in the 2017 state final.
“We trained on Monday…but we couldn’t get outside anymore for the rest of the week, and we had to step on the field and play on Friday,” Homan said. “We just lost a lot of rhythm; we lost a lot of mojo and momentum. It was tough.”
The Bobcats have had several highlights this year after a disappointing finish to last season, including earning the Cedar Run District tournament title last week, breaking Osbourn’s 27-game winning streak in the Cedar Run District and a 2-1 win at Osbourn Park just 24 hours after defeating Gainesville 4-1 on April 23. The OP result was season-defining, according to Homan.
“Going in there [at Osbourn Park] and getting that result, that was the moment we realized that we could battle through adversity and have something pretty special,” Homan said.
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