Matt Walker Getting Stronger Every Game
The soccer coaches of the Southeastern District created a new award in 2004: Rookie of the Year. That honor went to two athletes from Oscar Smith High School, Matt Walker and Joshua Smithwick.
Walker, a seventeen-year old midfielder, has a great sight for scoring goals; he made twenty-five of them in the last two seasons. He believes that the Tigers are strong enough this season to advance to the district tournament. “We have a really good sense of one another’s strengths,” he says. “That allows us to get stronger every game.”
Seventeen-year-old Smithwick, a sophomore, uses his speed at the forward position to break away from defenders and penetrate the goalie box. He firmly believes that nurturing the younger players on the team will serve as insurance in the seasons to come. “We need to work on the skills of the freshmen and sophomores so that they will be strong not just in this season but next year and the year after that,” he explains.
Both Walker and Smithwick agree that offense will play a critical role in the success of the team this year. “It’s important that we score a lot because that will catch the other teams off guard and make them take notice of us,” says Smithwick.
Walker explains how they will do that. “If we can become more skilled in attacking the goal, that will give us more options on offense and more opportunities to confuse and frustrate our opponents.”
Seventeen-year-old junior Scott Corrigan, like his teammates, will prove to be an asset for the Tigers this season. As a defender he sees the field from somewhat of a different angle as Walker and Smithwick. Corrigan knows what will make not only his part of the team, but the squad as a whole, more successful this season. “Communication is such an important part of the game,” he explains. “If there is pressure, or a lack of it, talking will help the situation out.”
Corrigan, whose quickness allows him to effectively stop opponents who have broken away for the goal, uses his status as a leader on the team to help unite them. But he is quick to point out that one of the team’s strengths is their unity. “We’re a team that is constantly communicating and building off of each other’s experiences.”
Coach Brandon Spontak entirely agrees with Corrigan’s assessment of the team. “This is a very tight group,” he says. “They push each other in practice and constantly give constructive criticism. They have a great work ethic and they love the game.” These young men have even been known to ask Spontak if they can practice on Saturday.
In terms of expectations for the season, Spontak is resolute. He would like for Oscar Smith to qualify for the regional tournament, and not just because sometimes observers have not expected a lot from them. Instead, Spontak explains that this is a very experienced team. They have encountered a lot of extremely tight wins and losses and have learned from all of them. But Spontak is quick to point out that his larger goal for the team does not eclipse more the more immediate focus. “We take our season one game, one goal at a time,” he says.
The Tigers’ experience has helped them gain the confidence to bring their best game to some of the district’s tougher matches. While Hickory, Great Bridge, Indian River and Western Branch have traditionally finished near the top of the Southeastern District, Oscar Smith will surely prove formidable competition for them this season. Not only has the talent level of individual athletes gotten better, but the program as a whole has been continually building since Spontak took the helm eight seasons ago.
“The intensity of the practices has increased because the talent level has gone up,” explains Spontak. “These guys know the basics of soccer very well. Now I switch practices up and focus on specific tactical elements of the game.” That improvement is definitely showing; numerous teams in the region and beyond who would not play Oscar Smith because they considered them sub-par will now take them on.
The Tigers have the talent to make a name for themselves. 2006 may be the season in which they do it.
