KO's Middle School Soccer Teams Win Wyvern Invitational Soccer Classic

Kingswood Oxford Girls' and Boys' Middle School Soccer teams are champions of the 17th annual Wyvern Invitational Soccer Classic, held at KO on Sept. 28, 2013.

The girls played teams from Foote, Independent Day School, and Chase Collegiate, while the boys played those three schools as well as Eaglebrook.

Only one opponent -- Chase -- was able to score against the KO girls. (KO beat Foote and IDS by scores of 3-0 and 6-0, respectively). In the third and most exciting game of the tournament, Chase found the back of the net within the first three minutes of play. The Wyverns stepped it up, coming at the net with a flurry of shots that hit the post and crossbar. KO scored in the last three minutes of the game, and then sealed the deal with less than a minute left, beating Chase 2-1.

In the championship match against Chase, the Wyverns scored within the first three minutes and never looked back. At the 15-minute mark, KO scored again, winning the game 2-0.

The situation was similar for the boys: Only Foote and Chase scored against KO. The results were as follows:

KO 3 Foote 1
KO 4 I.D.S. 0
KO 2 Eaglebrook 0
KO 4 Chase 1

The tournament's leading scorer was Paul McNamara '18, who had 4 goals, including 1 against Eaglebrook, which had the best goalie in the tournament. Blake Rutenberg '18 had 2 goals (including a direct-kick goal from 25 yards) and 2 assists, anchoring the midfield with his speed and physical presence.

Other scorers included William Appleton '18 (2), who was great at midfield and as a forward; Ryan Goss '18 (2 goals, 2 assists), who also controlled play in the midfield; Lincoln Rybeck '20 (2); and Sam Eckert '20 (1).  Mitch Nenninger '18 was fantastic as a central defending midfielder and also found himself in many offensive situations, barely missing out on a few goals.

Defensively, Harry Krause '18 and David Helsley '19 had outstanding tournaments, playing well at the wing back and stopper positions, respectively. Gus Mazzocca '18 played with relentless tenacity in the midfield.

KO's three goalkeepers -- Nick Cannata '20, Tom Dowd '20, and Shane Dawson '20 -- were composed and in control. Cannata placed 2nd in the voting for outstanding goalie of the tournament.