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Auburn, Warrenton finish as boys soccer middle school co-champions
When the Auburn Middle School boys soccer team defeated Warrenton 2-0 early in the year, and followed soon after with a 2-1 victory over a talented Marshall unit, it seemed little could stop Auburn from grabbing its third straight county title.
But Warrenton coach Matt Adamowicz never stopped believing in his Warriors' ability to come back and win or share the county title.
Lo and behold, Auburn stumbled in a key rematch with Marshall in late May, allowing Warrenton and Auburn to finish with identical 5-1 records, and share the middle school boys soccer title.
Adamowicz said his Warriors' opening-game loss to Auburn was humbling, but it was an important lesson.
“We told them, 'OK, guys, there goes your undefeated season. We can’t control what happened against Auburn, but you can still control your destiny. Work hard and win the rest of your games,'” Adamowicz said.
For Auburn, meanwhile, there was also rejoicing, as coach Kevin Roll's Wildcats raised a third straight championship banner.
After winning the boys soccer title outright in 2007, then the sharing with Warrenton in '08 and '09, Roll is the architect of a mini-dynasty that has gone 18-2 since 2007.
“We had another good season this year. We had more fun this year than in past years,” said Roll, whose Wildcats closed out its year with a 5-1 win over Cedar Lee
There were a lot of similarities between the co-champs.
Auburn was led by team MVP Neal Fanning, a goalkeeper zoned for Liberty High this fall.
“Some of the acrobatic saves Neal made this year were really, really impressive,” said Roll. “You stand there thinking, 'That’s a 14-year-old making those saves.' He’d dive parallel to the ground and leap full extension to punch balls over the crossbar.”
Other noteworthy Wildcats were midfielder Cameron Rijke, who scored six goals, and forward Alex Hartman, who tallied three goals and five assists...
See the Wednesday print edition of the Fauquier Times-Democrat for the complete story.
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