La Plata boys soccer wins region title
The La Plata High School boys soccer team captured its second straight 2A South Region title with a 1-0 victory over Southern of Anne Arundel County, but the Warriors bid for a state championship was ended one round later by the same squad that beat them in the 2015 state title contest.
La Plata (13-5) controlled possessions from the outset against Southern, save for the last 10 minutes of the game when the visiting Bulldogs were in desperation mode at- tempting to garner the equal- izer. The Warriors scored the game’s only goal in the first half when junior Seth Depriest-Kessler fed senior Dylan Ogletree with a crisp pass that the Warriors forward sent past Southern netminder Brandon Ford.
“Me and Seth have great chemistry,” Ogletree said immediately after the region title game. “He knows when I am going to the middle and he does a great job of getting the ball to me. We really controlled possessions from the start. We probably could have had a couple of more goals. But to win a second straight 2A South Region title is great.”
Even with a 1-0 lead in the first half, La Plata continued to apply pressure to the Southern zone with the intent of doubling its advantage. Depriest-Kessler, Ogletree, Justin Caron and Robbie Delozier all sent quality shots toward the Southern keeper and the Bulldogs netminder either made tough saves or watched shots sail over him. Depriest-Kessler was especially effective on corner kicks throughout the game and the region playoffs.
La Plata had won the 2A South Region title in 2015 and advanced to the state final where the Warriors were upended by Middletown. Less than a week after capturing their second straight region title, La Plata was defeated by Middletown in the 2A state semifinals.