Oakton Boys Soccer to Build on Young Talent

After graduating midfielder Charlie Ahn (All-Region first team) and forward Bubba Delgado (All-Region second team) last June, the Oakton High boys soccer team was left with two huge holes in its starting lineup.

"Those guys were monsters," Coach Todd Spitalny said. "We lost two big ones last year."

Spitalny built this year's team knowing he is not just planning for this season, but also next season with a likely starting lineup composed of mostly juniors. He wants to create depth while still giving the reigning Concorde District champions a shot at postseason success.

Though Spitalny is not ready to predict the Cougars will hold onto the title, he thinks they can make a valiant run at it.

Senior captain Ahmed Ismail, who will be playing for George Mason University next year, said he sees the underclassmen on the team working hard to contribute once district play starts in mid-April.

"We have a lot of young talent this year, and I expect us to do well," Ismail said. "I think we can be District Champs again."

Ismail, who plays both midfield and defense, thinks the Cougars have a sturdy midfield. He pointed to midfield's dominance in Monday night's game against Washington-Lee, in which they controlled the ball for the majority of the game to help lead the Cougars to a 2-1 victory. 

"We probably have the best midfield in the region. Straight up," Spitalny said. "Center of the park is probably the best in the region. I thought Washington-Lee might be number one or number two in the region, but our midfield killed them."

Spitalny will use the remaining four games before facing fellow members of the Concorde District to develop his bench, and said he even plans to start his bench for tonight's game against Madison High. 

"We have three games this week. I can't kill my guys and I want to develop these players," Spitalny said. "We don't have a district game until the seventh game of the year. We're going to use the games until then to get ready, to put ourselves in a good position for the district tournament."

The Cougars travel to Madison for a 7 p.m. game today. They host McLean at 7 p.m. Friday.