Apex men's soccer team just keeps winning

Adam Mancini
Staff Writer

It’s not always easy to live up to the expectations of being one of the top five teams in the nation, but the Apex varsity men’s soccer team (13-1-1) has not disappointed. “So far the expectations that we had at the beginning of the season have been realized. There have been a few bumps in the road, but we are very pleased overall,” said head coach Kevin Todd.

The team celebrates their Wake County Cup victory.

Apex climbed as high as number two in the national rankings this season, but a loss to conference rivals Green Hope (13-1-0) dropped Apex fifth. Going into the matchup with their bitter rivals on September 25, Apex was 10-0-0 and playing at the top of their game. But Apex walked away from the match with a 3-1 loss, their first of the year. “As disappointing as it was, the next day showed some mental resilience. The team kept their eyes on the next game and the fact that we would play them again later in the season,” said Coach Todd. Senior captain Robert Smith said that the loss will be a big motivator for the team in the coming weeks. “It was a very disappointing loss, and it’s something that we’re slowly bouncing back from, but we definitely have more of an incentive to beat them later in the season.”

Despite the national recognition, Coach Todd says the team must stay focused on its conference games. “In the grand scheme of things, conference games are the most important,” he explained. Apex sports a 7-1-1 record in conference games this season, putting the team in second place behind Green Hope.

However, one win stands out above the rest. On September 14, Apex defeated Sanderson 2-1 to win the inaugural Wake County Cup, which pits some of the best teams from across Wake County against one another. “It was definitely a high point of the season, and it was the first one ever so that made it special. And winning the trophy, a tangible award, was very nice as well. It was a win that the guys will always remember.” Smith explained that Apex’s win made a statement to the rest of the teams in the conference. “It showed the other teams that we were a good team and that we can compete at a high level.”

Still, Coach Todd says there are areas in which he feels that the team has room for improvement. “We seemingly make some of the same mistakes over and over again on defense. The communication isn’t always as precise as we’d like on a consistent basis,” he said. Smith agreed, saying, “We could be more consistent in our play.”

Apex has five games remaining on the schedule before the start of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state playoffs in late October. On October 21, Apex will once again face Green Hope in a game that could potentially decide the winner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.