The easy way out for the undefeated Episcopal boy’s soccer team would have been to make an excuse once star forward and co-captain Shadow Sebele (18 goals through eight games) broke his wrist in mid-September.
Instead, the Maroons decided to make it seem as if Sebele had never left — that is, until the senior decided to do his best Willis Reed impression.
Last Saturday, Episcopal capped off a remarkable 23-0 season with a Virginia Independent School League State Championship, defeating Norfolk Academy, 4-0. The championship game served more as a coronation for a team that never missed a beat once Sebele went down. Before the state tournament, Episcopal overcame longtime nemesis Georgetown Prep twice to take the IAC title.
But what makes the season so impressive is that Sebele still finished the year as the team’s top scorer despite missing the final 15 games. Coach Rick Wilcox says it’s the perfect example of the tremendous balance Episcopal enjoyed all season long. Senior Given Kalipinde had 14 goals, senior Greg DiNardo had 13 goals, and senior Alex Smith chipped in with eight goals on the season.
“With or without Shadow I didn’t think we would have made it through the whole season undefeated,” said Wilcox looking back on the title run. “After he got hurt, we took it one game at a time moving forward and finding our identity once again. Nobody felt the pressure to be the guy on any given game. … We just had so many different options.”
But while Episcopal jumped out to an early 3-0 lead to cruise to a state title, the Maroons would need their injured star in the semifinal round. Against Paul VI last Thursday, the Maroons were taken out of their comfort zone and forced to rely on athleticism, rather than the precision passing that had made them so effective all year long.
With the game scoreless and just 20 minutes remaining in the second half, the Panthers earned a penalty kick and took the lead. Things looked dire for the Maroons, who hadn’t mounted much of a counter attack all game.
<b>BUT WITH TWO</b> minutes left, DiNardo, who had been fighting back spasms all game, found his way into the Paul VI penalty box and was taken down from behind. He buried the subsequent penalty shot, tying the game at one apiece, and after two overtime periods bore no goals, the match went to a shootout.
That’s when Episcopal’s season came full circle.
Sebele had been given permission by the team’s medical staff to sub in late in the second overtime period so he could take one of the five penalty kicks. With less than a minute remaining, Wilcox let him enter the game for the first time.
Wilcox had Sebele slated to take the team’s fifth and final penalty kick, and like a Hollywood ending, after four rounds the score was 4-3 in favor of Episcopal. A goal on Sebele’s kick would mean a chance to play for a state title the next day.
“He buried it,” said Wilcox. “It was a special moment for him. Ever since that 8th game, he’s continued to be one of our leaders, the first up off the bench when someone else scores. He remained so positive even though he’s been frustrated for not being in there.”
The winning kick set the stage for Episcopal’s first-ever state title in boy’s soccer, something not lost on the coach and his team.
“It’s probably the most significant penalty kick in school history,” said an ecstatic Wilcox. “I’m still in cloud nine.”