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Fort White goalkeeper Colt Patterson is the LCR’s Boys Soccer Player of the Year. (HOLLY MALCOLM/Special to the Reporter)
FORT WHITE — Fort White head coach Steven Lopez isn’t sure if he’s seen a performance like Colt Patterson’s game against Columbia.
The Indians dropped the Dec. 21 contest to the Tigers 2-1, though it wasn’t for a lack of effort, least of all from Patterson. The goalkeeper recorded 28 saves that night, a figure that Lopez emphatically stands by despite other squads sometimes crediting saves on less-than-opportune shots, crosses or missed passes over the top.
And while Fort White took a loss that night on a late second-half goal from the Tigers, Lopez said without Patterson, it never would’ve been in question in the first place.
“The score could’ve been way worse if he didn’t save them,” Lopez said of that night. “That’s one goal he wanted to do, was beat (Columbia). Unfortunately came up short, but again, I’ve seen a big, big improvement during that game and then the following games after that.”
It’s the type of effort Patterson has had to exhibit the last several years, but this one in particular. He overcame a pair of hamstring injuries, battling through them while rehabbing at the same time during the season and, eventually, came into his own as a leader on his Fort White squad.
Those qualities lent themselves to Patterson earning the title of LCR’s Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
“It means a lot,” Patterson said of the honor. “I’ve been trying my hardest, putting in all the work and all the effort these last four years here, and to have it finally come to something feels really good.”
Patterson has been more than just that one effort in that one game in that one season. He’s been a consistent performer on the pitch for the Indians since his freshman year, logging an average of 11.7 saves per game throughout his four years of play, including stopping six penalty kicks through his freshman and sophomore seasons. His senior year, that number jumped to 15.6 saves per game while racking up a career-high 234 saves and allowing a career-low 29 goals on the season.
That level of play was never guaranteed to Patterson. In fact, by his own admission, Patterson was ‘not as good’ at soccer during his freshman campaign.
“I just had to put in training, working out, training almost five days a week for the last three years,” he said.
Even after that rigorous preparation, Patterson’s senior season nearly wasn’t the gem it turned out to be. He missed the Indians’ first game, a 3-0 loss against Suwannee on Nov. 13, while he was still battling back from a pair of torn hamstrings, one of which was still affecting him during football season during his time as the team’s kicker. The rehab process, Patterson said, was an everyday affair.
“Every day at practice was just me really working it out, stretching it,” he said. “Staying off it as much as I could when I didn’t have to practice.”
Battling through that adversity also gave Patterson a bit of time to reflect. He knew he wanted to be a leader on his team his senior season. That meant that he had to get loud.
“Definitely, you have to be loud in controlling your team,” Patterson said. “Being a leader is definitely one big part of being a goalkeeper.”
Another big part is practicing for real-game scenarios. Patterson does that too, often taking on deflected shots to keep sharp during scrums in the box.
That level of dedication may be surprising considering Patterson’s background. Growing up playing soccer, Patterson was usually a midfielder up through sixth grade but made the switch to goalie after coaches remarked on his eventual 6-foot-2 frame.
“A couple of people put me in goal because I was very tall,” Patterson said. “At that point, I decided, ‘Well, if I’m going to be put in goal, I want to be a good goalkeeper,’ so I definitely put in a lot of work for that.
“I still want to come out sometimes and play on the field, try to get out there, score some goals. But of course, I always enjoy when I make that big save. It feels great.”
For Lopez’s part, the second-year coach has already seen a remarkable improvement in Patterson’s game between his junior and senior seasons. He said Patterson persisting through his different injuries showed a lot of grit.
“He pretty much played the whole season pretty much injured or coming back from injury,” Lopez said, “and it really took a toll on him. But he toughed it out all season. He did what he could to help us win.
“He actually reminds me of Marshawn Lynch from football: When he’s on the field, he’s full-blown… He protects that ball. If somebody’s in his way, better believe he will take them out just to get that ball. You don’t see many goalkeepers like that.”
ALL-AREA TEAM
FW: Victor Hernandez
Branford, sophomore
Accounted for 15 of the Buccaneers’ 25 goals this season.
FW/MF: Connor Bass
Fort White, senior
Led the Indians with 10 goals between playing forward and attacking midfielder.
MF: Joel De La Cruz
Suwannee, senior
Led the District 2-4A runner-up Bulldogs with 13 goals to go with four assists.
MF: Rigo Townsend
Lafayette, junior
Led the Hornets with 18 goals while dishing out 10 assists.
MF: Ricardo Resendiz
Lafayette, junior
Led the Hornets with 16 assists to go with eight goals.
MF: Elder Santiago
Lafayette, junior
Scored 12 goals and had 12 assists for the Hornets.
MF/DEF: Bobby Shotwell
Columbia, junior
Split time between midfield and defense for the Tigers, scoring five goals with two assists.
DEF: Diego Garcia
Columbia, junior
Helped anchor a stout Tigers defense that allowed only 28 goals in 19 matches.
DEF: Alex Mabey
Suwannee, senior
Played left back, helping anchor a Bulldogs defense that allowed 38 goals in 22 matches.
DEF: Andrew Ibarra
Suwannee, junior
Played center back for the Bulldogs defense, which posted seven shutouts.
GK: Colt Patterson
Fort White, senior
The LCR’s Player of the Year was stellar in the net, making an area-best 234 saves. He allowed just 29 goals in 15 matches to keep the Indians in several contests, with his offense scoring just 24 goals for the year.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Ed Turner, Columbia
Led the Tigers to the only record in the area that was .500 or better, with his group finishing 7-7-5 that included a 2-0-1 record against Suwannee and Fort White. They were also the only team in the area to outscore their opponents (30-28) and did so against the area’s toughest schedule.
HONORABLE MENTION: Columbia: Bergen Cobb, Nathan Matsubara; Suwannee: Waylon Richard, William Slaughter, Caleb Gomez, Scott Uribe, Axel Johansson, Josue Tellez; Fort White: Jared Hopkins, Josiah Hopkins
— All-area capsules by Sports Editor Jordan Kroeger