Coyote Dynasty: Despite having a heavy graduation rate, the Franklin Towne Charter girls soccer team won its fourth straight Public League title. ED MORRONE / TIMES PHOTO
New season. Different players. Same result.
Despite losing its top two goal-scorers, starting sweeper, goalkeeper and a host of others to graduation, Franklin Towne Charter is still on top of the Public League girls soccer universe following Monday night’s 4–1 championship game triumph over Central at Northeast High School.
It was the fourth straight league crown for head coach Brianna O’Donnell, and while it seems like the most unexpected one from an outsider’s vantage point, that’s not how those within the Coyotes’ program felt when it was hit hard by graduation. Rather, Towne chose to look at things from a different perspective while putting the stamp on O’Donnell’s dynasty.
“All along, we had the mindset that it was about what we gained, not what we lost,” said senior captain and sweeper Devon Keller, who won her fourth title in four years under O’Donnell. “When it came down to it, the girls here knew we had what it took. Because of that, it’s definitely the best win yet.”
And while O’Donnell herself stopped short of ranking title number four as “the best,” it was perhaps the most validating one for the coach, who has been on the job for six years and played for the league title in all of them.
“Each one is a gift because I love working with these kids, whether it was last year’s team or this year’s,” O’Donnell said. “So it’s not that this one is more special than the others, but I’m certainly very proud of it. What we’ve been able to put together since we came together that first week of August, and to watch them grow and mature and bond … I’m not just proud of the win, but of everything this team stands for and the way we play together.”
When Towne lost senior forwards Rachel Gilborges and Stefanie Ulmer — and the pair’s combined 145 career goals — it was hard to imagine them continuing to dominate the Public League, at least from the surface. But Towne went a perfect 10–0 in league play during the regular season and 12–3–1 overall, playing dominant soccer due to the sum of the team’s total parts. While there was no Gilborges or Ulmer up top, the Coyotes have depth, with senior Laura Smith, junior Megan Stapf and sophomore Caitlin Hammerstein all tallying a team-leading 13 goals.
Freshman Arryana Coleman was next on the list with seven, and none were bigger than the two she scored against Central in the title game, including a backbreaker with 10 seconds left in the first half that turned a one-goal Towne lead into a 3–1 advantage. Stapf scored with about 20 minutes left in the game, a goal set up by Coleman’s blazing speed, beating a defender to the ball and opting for a perfect cross pass instead of selfishly going for the hat trick.
“It was great,” Coleman said afterward. “Having O’Donnell as a coach is really, like, a good thing to me.”
She may look and talk like a freshman, but Coleman certainly doesn’t play like one, although O’Donnell did remove the youngster from the game early in a scoreless game when she sensed Coleman was playing tight and nervous. Whatever adjustments the coach made, as well as whatever pep talk Stapf gave her teammate on the sideline at the time, sure paid off.
“When you’re coaching younger players, I don’t think they believe in themselves until they do it,” O’Donnell said. “I see her at practice five days a week so I know what she’s capable of. I could quickly assess that nobody on that team could cover her with how fast she is. I kept reminding her that it was going to come, she was going to get her chances, so just keep working for when they do come. It took me five seconds to realize she would be a difference-maker this season.”
For her part, Coleman was initially nervous about joining a team that had had so much success prior to her arrival, but her teammates quickly quelled those concerns.
“I was nervous about not being accepted to this team,” she said. “It was really nerve-wracking for me at first, so this is just great.”
Keller, the team’s only captain, and the six remaining seniors helped foster an environment of acceptance for the underclassmen, and it did wonders for players like Coleman’s confidence in the long run.
“There’s seven seniors, so the underclassmen could look up to all of us,” Keller said. “As seniors, it forces us to play our part. We knew we had to control that bonding, for them to feel comfortable enough to look up to us and listen to what we were telling them, and they did it well.”
Up next for Towne will be Wednesday’s Class AAA title game against Catholic League champ Archbishop Ryan. But for now, the team was just living in the moment and basking in all the glory that comes with winning four straight championships.
“We talked the entire week leading up to the game about owning tonight and what it will mean if we do,” O’Donnell said. “They bought in entirely. We definitely want this program to set a standard in the Public League for what it means to compete and build a reputation how we carry ourselves, how we play, practice and compete. It’s great to know that the younger kids are following right along with that.”
From the team’s lone captain to its final sub, everyone contributed to this championship, as evidenced by how much O’Donnell subs during games. As a result, all 18 members of the team felt like they played a part.
“It’s about the dedication,” Keller said. “I love people dedicated to what they do. We practiced in the rain, cold — it didn’t matter. We just wanted that fourth title, the dynasty. And with all of the talent you see that keeps coming in, they’re going to keep it going. I can’t even explain to you how great this feels.” ••
