A 4-0 victory for the Leonardtown Raiders boys soccer team late in October over the McDonough Rams, in the final regular season game for the Raiders, still left its Southern Maryland Athletic Conference regular season championship status in the air.
However, the following morning, Leonardtown head coach David Holland informed his players that his team had won its second SMAC regular season title in as many years.
Leonardtown finished the SMAC soccer season at 11-1, its only loss coming at the hands of Northern in an overtime loss, 3-2, on Sept. 13.
However, the Raiders would hold off a Northern team that finished second overall in SMAC at 10-1-1 as the Patriots tied Lackey in a scoreless 0-0 double overtime draw the same night the Raiders defeated McDonough, giving Leonardtown the SMAC crown.
“It feels great to win SMAC for the second straight season,” said Holland in October. “I didn’t find out until the [Thursday] morning that we had clinched, so it was very exciting for the boys. This team has steadily improved throughout the year. The key has been the development of our defense.”
Holland, for his team’s efforts, was named the All-SMAC and All-County boys soccer Coach of the Year.
His senior midfielder Chad Selph followed suit by adding All-SMAC Most Outstanding Player and All-County boys soccer Athlete of the Year honors to his resume after the stellar season.
Leonardtown advanced to the Class 4A East Region semifinals this past fall. It fell to Old Mill of Anne Arundel in that game, 1-0, and finished the season with an overall record of 12-3.
JAMES A. McCRAY III