Colorado Academy took the two highest Metro League individual honors for its Varsity Boys Soccer Program. Coach Gabe Bernstein was named Metro League Coach of the Year by his coaching peers. Senior Liam Hall was named Metro League Boys Soccer Senior of the Year.
Coach Bernstein
Bernstein, who also serves as the Dean of Students for CA Seniors and serves on CA’s counseling staff, says that he is proud of this year’s overall record of 13-4-1, finishing second in the Metro League. The season ended after a loss in the quarter finals. Bernstein believes in training with the student-athlete in mind, which leads to success on and off the field.
“It is always nice to be recognized by other coaches in the Metro League,” Bernstein says. “It’s confirmation that we’re doing the right thing, even in a season that ended earlier than we wanted. We like to win, but I think coaches at the high school level should be focused on player development more than winning games. CA’s coaching staff teaches the technical aspects of the game and creates players who, when they leave CA, are well-trained to play at the next level.”
“Gabe, like many of our coaches, encourages and challenges our athletes to go beyond what they think is possible,” says Athletic Director Bill Hall. “I also very much appreciate Gabe’s focus on coaching with integrity and setting standards for sportsmanship, which are so important to the CA athletic program.”
Liam Hall
Metro League coaches named Hall Senior of the Year. During the 2019 season, Hall scored 16 goals and had 8 assists. He was Co-Captain of the CA Boys Soccer team, and he is a three-sport Varsity athlete at CA. He plays Basketball during the Winter, and he will play Lacrosse in the Spring.
Hall has been named to Ireland’s Under-19 Men’s World Championship Lacrosse Team and will play at the World Games in Limerick, Ireland in July 2020. He holds dual U.S. and Irish citizenship.
“All season, Liam carried the weight of the soccer program on his shoulders, playing forward against arguably some of the strongest teams in the state in the Metro League,” Bernstein says. “His leadership and dynamic attacking play set the tone for his teammates and provided the spark that teams need in big moments. He’s the kind of young man that truly embodies the values that we stand for at Colorado Academy, both on and off the field.”
More honors and the future
Several more CA players were recognized by the Metro League. Along with Hall, Peter Carpenter was named to First Team All-Metro, and the two were also named to First Team All-State by the Colorado High School Soccer Coaches Association. Garrison Ebel, Nick Maffei, and Charlie Westfall were named to Second Team All-Metro.
Bernstein is already looking ahead to next year, which he says will be an exciting season. This year’s Varsity team was heavy with Juniors, who will come into 2020 ready to make a contribution. There were also four Freshmen playing Varsity in 2019 who will be eager to make their mark in the coming years.