It’s been a good year for Juneau-Douglas High School’s soccer alumni as three former Crimson Bears have punched their tickets to compete at the NCAA Division III National Soccer Championship starting Nov. 12.
Redlands Community College’s Oswaldo Magallanes, Vassar’s Ben Scudder and Amherst’s Jackson Lehnhart will compete in the 62-team field this year.
Lehnhart, a 2013 JDHS graduate and senior defensive back for Amherst College, leads the title contentions for the former Crimson Bears. Lehnhart’s Purple & White are the defending national champs and enter the tournament boasting a No. 2 ranking.
Amherst — a New England Small College Athletic Conference team based in Massachusetts — will host games on their home pitch until the field has narrowed from 62 to 16 teams.
“It’s a very special experience,” Lehnhart said. “There’s lots of energy in conference tournaments and big games with our rivals Williams, but the national tournament is a whole different atmosphere. I grew up just loving to compete, whether it was in baseball or soccer, so to be on this stage, at this level, it’s really special.”
As a freshman, Lehnhart had to battle hard to find playing time at Amherst. To find his niche, the former JDHS striker and Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year had to step out of his comfort zone, switching positions from stiker to center defender.
Lehnhart now captains Amherst, who play a high, direct style that allows the center back a significant role on offense. He’s developed a knack for set pieces and long throw-ins that allow him to get forward often.
“I came in my freshman year and played pretty much everywhere on the field,” Lehnhart said. “And I found what was needed for me to fit into our style of play. … People don’t get behind us all that often.”
Lehnhart’s nose for goal proved invaluable at last year’s national championship. In the 9th minute of their title match against Loras College, Amherst conceded the first goal, going down 1-0 in the biggest match in school history.
The run of play favored Amherst, and the goal galvanized the team. Lehnhart headed in the equalizer off a corner kick in the 19th minute.
“After the first goal, we got together and we said ‘Look, this isn’t happening, we’re not letting this slip away,’” Lehnhart said. “We were getting tons of chances and once we broke through, we just rode that momentum the rest of the game.”
Amherst went on to beat Loras 2-1, scoring the game-winner in the 55th minute. Lehnhart’s goal was his lone score of the 2016 season.
“It was such a surreal moment,” Lehnhart added. “I have seen groups of guys come through and go out in the Elite Eight or the Sweet Sixteen and these are all guys I really admire. To go out and then to be able to do it with this group was really special. To do it in front of alumni and my dad, who got snowed in and almost didn’t make the game, that was really special.”
This year, Amherst has earned a first round bye. They face the winner of a Saturday match between Daniel Webster and Worcester State at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday.
“Every team at this point will be a battle, and I think it’s important to remember that and take it one step at a time,” Lehnhart said of his team’s mentality. “We’re expecting a good team regardless of who it is.”
Lehnhart said the home pitch advantage is huge for Amherst. Their undersize grass field slows the ball down and concentrates play, lending itself to Amherst’s preferred tactic of doggedly harrying teams from the front line.
Lehnhart has started every game this year. He’s netted four goals this seaosn and was named a NASCAC All-Conference defender.
Postseason experience for Scudder and Magallanes
Scudder’s Vassar has put together a banner campaign on their way to the national tournament. The 14-3-2 Brewers claimed their league championship for the second time in school history off the strength of a record regular season campaign.
The 2015 JDHS grad has found more time on the pitch in his second season as center back.
“Outside of just numbers, which have been great, this has also been the closest team I have ever been a part of. We have a lot of kids who are returning next year. As a result, we have this team that’s really close and knows we have a lot time together,” he said.
The postseason experience should help Vassar when Scudder and his young teammates take on leadership roles.
Vassar faces Elizabethtown at 1 p.m. Eastern on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. Scudder said Juneau’s national representation speaks volumes about the community’s commitment to soccer.
“I think it says a lot about JDHS soccer and about the coaching staff there and I think that it also says a lot about Juneau soccer in general,” Scudder said. “Juneau soccer has really been expanding and giving kids the opportunity to get better and I think we will see that reflected in the future with more and more kids moving on to the next level.”
Magallanes, a star midfielder for JDHS’ class of 2016, is on the other side of the bracket from Amherst and Vassar, meaning a national championship game between two teams with Juneau players is a possibility. His Redland’s team enters the tournament ranked No. 25 with their stiffest competition coming from No. 1-ranked University of Chicago.
Redlands plays Washington University-St. Louis at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday in the opening round.
• Contact Sports and Outdoors reporter Kevin Gullufsen at 523-2228 or kevin.gullufsen@juneauempire.com.
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