Majors On Track to Clinch National District Title

The mood on the bus ride back to Mount Vernon (9-1-2) last Monday was somber for members of the boys varsity soccer team. Chantilly had just handed Mount Vernon its first loss of the season and the team’s players struggled to accept the sting of the loss.

Trailing 3-1 with eight minutes remaining in the contest, Chantilly, who had won just one game previously, clawed its way back to edge Mount Vernon 4-3 in double overtime.

“The whole ride home, and in the locker room, there was nothing but silence. A lot of guys sat there with their heads down reflecting on what they have to do,” said nine-year head coach Robert Garza. “I was good that it happened to us, we needed it to see how we would respond.”

Garza gave his team a much needed day off that Tuesday, figuring they could use the late-season break to rest and prepare for the final stretch of the regular season. So he was understandably surprised to see his players gathered on the soccer field that afternoon after school.

“I was taken aback, I was shocked, but in a good way,” said Garza. “They said that they were sorry, but after last night, they had to do this. So they had a players-only practice that Tuesday. They went off campus and did it on their own.”

Since losing to Chantilly, Mount Vernon has rattled off wins against Hayfield and West Potomac and has the inside track to the district crown. The Majors are heavily favored to win this year’s National District title and are currently ranked sixth by The Washington Post. And in Garza’s nine years at the school, he firmly believes that this year’s team is his most talented.

“This team is tops. Their talent and chemistry is far above any of the other teams I’ve coached. The chemistry had been unheralded. I’ve also never coached a Mount Vernon team that has been this fast.” he said.

Mount Vernon’s team chemistry has been years in the making. The team’s nine seniors are best friends off the field and spend so much time together that their on-field actions mirror one another. In the off season and on the weekends, players meet at local parks and spend hours playing pickup games against each other.

“They’re like one big family. They’re always at each other’s houses, they eat together in the cafeteria, they hang out together on the weekends. They’re always with each other,” Garza said. “For the seniors, for the past three years, they’ve grown to be as one.”

With one game remaining on Mount Vernon’s regular season schedule, the Majors have their sights set on the National District and Northern Region crown. And with a win over Edison this Friday, the Majors will capture the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the National District tournament, a feat that no other Mount Vernon soccer team has accomplished.

“We lost in the district championship game last season so our goal is to get back to the championship and we would love to bring in here through Mount Vernon, playing at home,” Garza said.