Category: VSN Soccer
Sparrows Point's Lynch and Stavisky from McDonogh headline VSN's best in girls' soccer; Camm is top coach
by Derek Toney
It was another banner fall for Sparrows Point and McDonogh School girls' soccer programs. The Eagles again ruled the IAAM A Conference while Sparrows Point continued its dominance in the state.
Julie Lynch was a dynamic all-around threat for the state champion Pointers. The junior midfielder is Player of the Year.
Lily Stavisky was the proverbial glue for McDonogh's stingy defense. The senior center back is Defensive Player of the Year.
Broadneck enjoyed another stellar season under John Camm. The longtime Bruin leader is Coach of the Year.
See below for our award profiles on each.
2017 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JULIE LYNCH
SPARROWS POINT
Lynch was at the center of Sparrows Point's run to history this past fall. The junior is VSN's Girls' Soccer Player of the Year.
The center midfielder totaled 21 goals and 19 assists for the Pointers, who claimed a record fifth straight Class 1A state championship. The Baltimore County school finished No. 5 in the final VSN Top 20.
This season, Lynch wanted to continue Sparrows Point's rise from afterthought to powerhouse.
"We've really given a name to our school. When you think of Sparrows Point, you think of soccer," said Lynch. "Not many people believe in small schools, but maybe we’ve changed their minds."
A game changer on either side of the field, Lynch had at least a goal or an assist in all but one game this season. She has 51 goals and 39 assists in her first three seasons.
Lynch, one of 32 girls in the country selected to train in France last summer with the highly regarded Olymique Lyonnais club team, was a first-team all-state selection by the Maryland Association of Coaches of Soccer (MACS). She's verbally committed to West Virginia University.
2017 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
LILY STAVISKY
MCDONOGH SCHOOL
Stavisky was the glue for the IAAM A Conference champions . The senior is VSN's Defensive Player of the Year.
The top-ranked Eagles (14-1-2 overall) won their fifth league title in six seasons, allowing only eight goals. Stavisky was the "foundation," at center back.
"I just want to be on the field," said Stavisky, a tri-captain with Cassie Blyth and Maddie Jenner. "I'll play whatever role or position."
Along with Jenner, Stavisky helped nurtured a young defensive unit. The Eagles posted 11 shutouts including against state public champions River Hill (2A) and Sparrows Point (1A), 1A state runner-up Patterson Mill and Archbishop Spading (0-0 tie), which held the No. 1 ranking for most of the season.
"When a younger girl stepped on the field they were going to play for the next girl," said Stavisky. "We played together and for each other."
An all-IAAM A selection, Stavisky was also a first-team all-state pick by the Maryland Association of Coaches of Soccer (MACS). She will play for Hofstra University next fall.
2017 COACH OF THE YEAR
JOHN CAMM
BROADNECK
After falling short last fall, Camm and the Bruins regained their championship DNA in 2017. The veteran leader is VSN's Coach of the Year.
Broadneck (17-1-2 overall) won the Class 4A state championship for the second time in three seasons, defeating Frederick County's Urbana at Loyola University's Ridley Athletic Complex. The Bruins lost to Urbana, 2-0, in the opening week of the regular season.
"We kind of returned to our roots," said Camm. "A little bit more hard-nosed than we were all season. That’s what we talked about all week long, being physical, playing hard, just getting after it."
It's Camm physical, straightforward philosophy that has made Cape St. Claire school one of the area's elite. The Bruins rebounded from the early loss - not losing another match (11-0-1) until the Anne Arundel County final to South River (1-0).
Broadneck quickly regained form, knocking off county rival Severna Park (played to 0-0 tie in regular season) and southern Maryland's Leonardtown (rematch of 2015 state final), in the region tournament. Against previously undefeated Urbana, which had allowed three goals, the Bruins netted two second half goals while keeping Urbana's dangerous forward corps, led by University of Tennessee recruit Abbey Burdette in check.
"When things weren’t quite going our way early on [in the season], nobody put their head down, nobody was pouting about playing time," said Camm, whose team lost in the East Region playoffs in 2016. "From day one, everybody was buying in to what we were doing, everybody was focused, everybody wanted to get back to this spot."
Camm, who teaches Social Studies at Broadneck, has compiled a 153-51-2 mark in 14 seasons.
