VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- Floyd Kellam girls' soccer is made up of a lot of seniors who have been through the ups and downs together. The next three weeks will see the Knights pushing to end on a high note.
Kellam enters the postseason with an unblemished record of 14-0-1, the lone tie coming against fellow unbeaten First Colonial.
"I think we have the talent, the potential, but you've still got to play," said Knights' head coach Mario Hurdle. "I think every game teams are going to play their best, so I think that's the biggest thing, just consistency in what we do and take one game at a time."
So far it's worked. Kellam has rattled off nine straight wins since that tie with the Patriots. All 14 victories have been shutouts as they carry that momentum into the Region 5A playoffs. Last season saw the squad fall in the Region 6A title game and the Class 6 state quarterfinals, the latter in penalty kicks to Charles Colgan, and that's stuck with them entering 2024.
"I don't remind them. I think they remind themselves," Hurdle said of that state tournament defeat. "They talk about it. They say 'hey, we want this same feeling,' but let's take one game at a time."
Kellam has 10 seniors on its roster. They've experienced the highs and lows of what a postseason can bring and that has them prepared going into the final playoffs of their high school careers.
"We've gotten to know each other so much," said senior midfielder Cameron Devera. "I think us playing together, we have this chemistry together that I feel like not many other teams have."
"They've experienced getting to a state championship, getting deep into regionals," added Hurdle. "I think they want to get back to at least the state tournament and make something of it."
The road begins Wednesday when the Knights face Kempsville in the Region 5A quarterfinals. The zero in the loss column is nice, but as the team turns the page, Hurdle reminds them that their next loss could send them home.
"Regionals is a brand new season," he pointed out. "What we've done is great, but how can we put that energy into the regional season?"
