Beaufort Academy Boys and Girls Soccer
Beaufort Academy Boys and Girls Soccer Season Outlook
Bill Dalton has amassed so many wins as the boy’s soccer coach at Beaufort Academy that he lost track of them somewhere along the way. The Eagles have won five consecutive state championship and are again the top-ranked team in this year’s pre-season poll. Dalton, who is in his 2nd stint as the coach at BA, has more than 150 career wins, numerous region and statewide coach of the year awards, and has guided the Eagles to 8 state championships. It hasn’t always been like this though. Dalton took over in 2009 after a nine year hiatus. The team was coming off of a 0-16 season. In less than a decade, Dalton has rebuilt the program to the point that no one on the team has ever done anything other than end the season as a state champion.
The outlook for this season is more of the same. Dalton returns seven starters from last years 16-1 team. The returners are highlighted by five all-region players and three all-state performers. Dalton is excited about the returners and their level of skill and physicality He expects that his squad will continue to be led by an extraordinary defense and that they will be able to be even better at possession and passing base style of play. Leading the returners is senior goalkeeper David Matthai who was named to the all-state team and was honored as region player of the year. “David is a special talent. He’s trained at a high level to be a goalkeeper for years and that gives the whole team confidence because we know the opponent isn’t going to get any soft goals.” The Eagles also return a quartet of juniors who earned all-state or all-region honors last season. Center midfielder Thomas Holladay and forward Ben Trask who scored twice to set the stage for Beaufort Academy’s thrilling 3-2 comeback win in last year’s state title game were named to the all-state team. Midfielder Dawson Coleman and sweeper William Tumlin anchor the defense in front of Matthai and were both named to the all-region team last season.
With 26 state championships since 1973, the Beaufort Academy boys soccer program has won more state championships than any program in SCISA history. That means Dalton can count on a high level of buy-in from both current and former players. “We have a high expectation of success, our guys put tremendous pressure on themselves to live up to the standards that come with putting on a Beaufort Academy soccer jersey.” Winning five consecutive championships creates pressure to not break the streak, but Dalton says that for him he is more concerned about the pressure on his players, not on him. “The pressure on me is mitigated by my tremendous confidence in them. They are extremely talented and resilient, we were down two goals with 20 minutes left in last year’s championship game and they came back to win. In 2017, we started the season 0-5, but they rallied to win the state championship again. This year we return an experienced and talented team.”
On the girl’s side, Beaufort Academy will return an experienced team, but will feature a new head coach. The Eagles went 5-11 last season and lost in the first round of the SCISA Class 1A playoffs. The new head coach named is Bruce Marroquin and he will be assisted by Taylor Dunphy and former state championship winning head coach David Byrne.
BA athletic director Nick Field has this to say about the coaching staff, “Bruce is going to bring great energy and expertise to the position and the three of them make up a very strong staff. I am looking forward to seeing the program flourish.”
Marroquin is excited about working with his team. “Our team is going to be a fast, tough, smart team. We want them to have fun while competing at a high level. Our coaches and players will be held to a certain standard to provide the opportunity to improve their skill level, encourage their growth and create positive relationships within the program in order to create a winning culture.” He also mentioned that he expects his players will represent Beaufort Academy well off the field, performing at a high level in the classroom and exhibiting character, respect and a strong work ethic.
The Eagles expect to return a seasoned and veteran defense led by Quinn Fleming, Carol Moss, Michi Giannini, Emma Hincher and returning all-region goal-keeper Amelia Huebel. The team will look for scoring and leadership from a pair of senior returning starters in Anna Daubert and Mary Alden Cooper.
