51Âþ»­

Not even Asheville School Week can diminish the magnitude of Tuesday night, and that says it all. 

51Âþ»­ (9-1-1, 3-0) and Rabun Gap (9-1, 2-0) play for first place in Carolinas Athletic Association varsity soccer at 6:30 p.m. in Arden, following a JV game between the two schools at 4:30.

Expect a championship atmosphere because these are programs are accustomed to nothing less. 

Six goals will win a lot of matches. 

Right now, 51Âþ»­ varsity soccer is the proof. For the third consecutive evening, six was the magic number for the Greenies in Thursday’s 6-0 home victory over Erwin.

SWANNANOA – Sixteen straight wins in the Carolinas Athletic Association and counting. 

Oliver King ’28 pieced together his second hat trick (three goals) in as many weeks and 51Âþ»­ varsity soccer extended a streak in conference play that dates back to 2024 with Tuesday’s 6-0 win at Asheville Christian Academy. 

Max Collyer ’27 made a beeline for the far corner and nearest camera Tuesday. 

The senior defender celebrating his first goal of the season was the moment of a game that otherwise followed a script very similar to 2025. 

Same teams. Same score. Same result. A rematch of last year’s NCISAA 4-A state championship game went 51Âþ»­â€™s way again, 2-1, over visiting Covenant Day. 

Possession time does not always equal scoring. Or else Tuesday would have been a very short night for 51Âþ»­ varsity soccer.  

The Greenies stymied Asheville School every time the Blues got a touch. And with bigger games on the horizon, the offense was patient and workmanlike for a 5-1 home win that saw goals from five different players – Davis Campbell ’29, Vytis Rimkus ’29, Lyndon Bryan ’27, Keaton McGee ’30 and Hoge Reynolds ’27. 

Contorting his body and the ball, Davis Campbell ’29 found a sliver of daylight around three defenders and a diving goalkeeper Thursday. 

Sheer poetry, and the lateral footwork and tenacity to come up with his third goal of the evening earned the sophomore thousands of views on social media only hours later. 

Wyatt Haddock ’27 presents a big target in the box, one that 51Âþ»­ varsity soccer utilized Tuesday. 

A picture-perfect corner kick from Vytis Rimkus ’29 and Wyatt’s resulting header at the 3:49 mark was the only goal the Greenies would need in their home opener. A 2-0 win over Asheville Christian Academy was the team’s 16th shutout in the past two years. 

No one celebrated goals better in 2025, no one celebrated more. 

Congratulations to Consta Barlas ’26 – the top scorer from 51Âþ»­ soccer’s first state championship season – for his verbal commitment to NorthWest Arkansas Community College. 

Two integral pieces of 51Âþ»­ soccer’s first state championship run haven’t played their final game together as teammates. 

Congratulations to midfielder Taz Kasambara ’26 and defender Clayton Butler ’26 for their verbal commitments to NorthWest Arkansas Community College.  

Awards season continues for a team whose legacy is assured.

Congratulations to the three Greenies who were named to the HighSchoolOT all-state soccer team on Monday – senior midfielder Costa Barlas ’26 (first team), junior defender Alec Dzialo ’27 (first team), and senior midfielder Taz Kasambara ’26 (second team).