NORTON, Va. – Abingdon Falcons football player Mason Sorien reached a turning point last summer.
“I've wanted to play soccer at the collegiate level my whole life,” Solien said. “I realized that to achieve that goal I needed to get my game up to a certain level, so I trained for two to three hours every day at The Meadows Complex in Abingdon or at Emory & Henry.”
The 6-foot-2 sophomore's efforts paid off.
Solien had eight goals and five assists as a freshman, giving him 34 goals this season.
Solien continued the magic with two more goals as Abingdon defeated the Union Bears 5-0 in a Mountain 7 playoff game Friday at Wise County Central.
The Falcons (14-2-1) earn the right to host the Mountain 7 Tournament with a first-round bye.
Others are also reading…
How much has Solien honed his skills in one year?
Just ask AHS coach Brian Butler.
“Mason's progress has been remarkable,” Butler said. “He works hard and it shows in the way he finishes and the way he hits the ball, and given his size, Mason has a very good chance of playing at the next level. ”
After going through regional and state tryouts, Solien was selected by the Roanoke-based Olympic Development Program last year and competed in several tournaments.
“It felt great to make the team, but I'm still striving to get better,” Solien said. “Right now, I'm focusing on ball speed.”
Senior Elliott Walters also scored two goals for AHS on Friday, and freshman Reece Waddle added one goal. Senior Rylan Krebs and freshman Branson Quesenberry each had two assists, and senior Will Dorton had one assist.
The Falcons quickly ended the suspense by building a 4-0 lead with just over five minutes left in the first half.
“We play well on a grass field like this and our passing was strong tonight,” Solien said.
The Falcons faced Gate City at Emory on Tuesday and earned an emotional 1-0 victory.
“It was a good season,” Butler said. “We tested ourselves a few times in the game against Virginia High School, where we were down 2-0 in the first 10 minutes, but then fought back and won.
“We also had back-to-back losses to Gate City and Union. I'm glad that happened because it gave us an opportunity to learn. And we've seen a return from that experience in the last two games. Ta.”
Krebs (14 goals, 18 assists) is another standout for AHS, which has eight seniors.
Mountain 7 tournaments are scheduled to be held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
AHS won the district tournament last season but lost to Christiansburg in the first round of the Region 3D playoffs. The Falcons have graduated 16 seniors over the past two seasons.
“One of our goals this season was to make and win a regional game,” Butler said.
The Union (11-4-1) couldn't find an answer against the balanced and quick Falcons.
“We didn't play well,'' Union coach Brian Wharton said. “We knew Abingdon was going to play well because we beat Abingdon last time. Credit to Abingdon for the win, but we still got a share of the district championship and that's what we've been up to since the beginning of the season. That was the main goal.”
Friday was the Bears' fourth game of the week.
“We just didn't get the ball very well and looked like we were out of it a little bit,” Wharton said. “Four of Abingdon's goals, the ball kind of rolled off our feet. We made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes.”
Senior Brayden Wharton, the son of coach Union, leads the Bears with 28 goals and has 83 at the varsity level. Rayshawn Anderson, a senior who made his mark on the football field as a quarterback, follows with 25 goals on the season.
Coach Wharton said, “We're going to do what Ray and Brayden want us to do.'' “The team values them and I knew Abingdon would do the same. I wanted to put on a better show, but I'm just going to rest this weekend. I hope to see Abingdon next week.” ”
The only negative for AHS came late in the second half when sophomore goalie Alex Bloom was accused of handling the ball outside the box while a Union attacker was behind Abingdon's defensive line. He was sent off from the game.
Union was awarded a penalty kick and a red card as the referee deemed it a scoring opportunity, leaving the Falcons to contend for one man down. It was unclear Friday night whether Bloom would be cleared to play in Abingdon's district tournament opener.
Senior Dennin Jenkins was responsible for the remaining goals of the night. Jenkins earned his first all-district title as a keeper the past two years.
“It's always more motivating when you separate games with teams, like we did against Union in the regular season. We came out and played well,” Butler said.
In the meantime, keep an eye on the motivated Solien who continues his efforts.
“I've been playing soccer since I was about a year old and I always want to get better,” Solien said.
agregory@bristolnews.com | Twitter: @Greg_BHCSports | (276) 645-2544