North Augusta boys soccer eyes program’s first state title

NORTH AUGUSTA, SC (WRDW/WAGT) - The North Augusta boys soccer team is one win away from claiming the first state championship in program history.

The boys got a final tune-up Thursday, just about an hour-long practice ahead of Friday’s game. Head coach Michael Vaughan said the team is physically ready. He said the focus right now is getting their heads and hearts in the right place for the game.

When asked about how much they think about being the first team to bring home a state title for the program, he said it’s more of a goal than an expectation. He said as badly as these guys want to win the title, they also just want to make a contribution.

“All season long we talked about our roster is going to get smaller and smaller and smaller, meaning the number of players who are going to get on the field in a meaningful game is going to get smaller and smaller and smaller,” Vaughan said. “I think that was more of a motivator than anything. They want to be a part of it. They want to be on the field.”

This senior class has had a lot of success in their four years. They said they felt like they could have done something special in 2020 before covid took out their season. Last year, they became the first team in 25 years to make it to the state semi-final. This year, they became the first team to make it to the title game.

“I already feel like a champ just because of all the we have around the school,” said senior Blake Miller. “I walk down the hall and people are like, ‘Make sure you catch that ring for us.’ It already makes you feel better about the game.”

“We broke our record for most people at a soccer game. We shattered that record,” said senior Bryson Fuss. “It’s just been a lot of from everyone at school this year.”

North Augusta plays Eastside Friday night at Irmo High School for the state title.

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