by Chase Sondike ’26, Andrew Fenner ’27

In a close finish Monday night, Sherwood prevailed over Rockville by a score of 1-0 to make their record 2-1 on the year thus far. Sherwood is off to a great start offensively, outscoring their opponents 6-1, though they suffered a tough loss in the home opener against Blair.

When asked about their season opener, a 5-0 win over Seneca Valley, Coach Paul Homon said, “Our win against Seneca was a team effort,”. Homon attributed the win to playing together as a team, with a mixture of both “young players and veterans” equally contributing.

The defensive side of the ball has had plenty of positive output. Junior right-back Adam Levy has played a key role in Sherwood’s early defensive success. This year, Sherwood has been much more successful on the defensive end, allowing just one goal in their first three games, a far cry from the six goals they gave up in the first three games last season. When asked about the group’s improvement, Levy said, “We became more of a unit, and stayed more compact without making as many impulsive decisions.” The third-year right-back has been a cornerstone addition after transferring from Einstein at the beginning of last year. “Our chemistry has improved a lot this season,” he added when asked about Sherwood’s defensive resurgence. Central midfielder Alex Welch said the team made it their “main focus to improve defensively in the offseason. We have also improved our communication and compactness in the back line which has led to our success in not conceding goals.”

The offense has also seen improvement, scoring six goals in the first three games compared to last year’s four. Caleb Allie has been a key part of the team’s offensive production, scoring two goals against Seneca Valley in the shut-out win.

When asked about the team’s strategy this year, Homon said, “Our general style of play is to be more of a pressing team that creates chances off of counterattacks. We are open to changing our style depending on our opponents as well.” Homon stressed the importance of playing together, and said that he expects “everyone to do their job, and we will be stronger as a team!”