BV Northwest’s Matthew Carey is The Star’s All-Metro boys soccer player of the year
Although Matthew Carey played just one season for the Blue Valley Northwest High School boys soccer team, he played a vital role in the Huskies’ attack from the midfield.
Opposing coaches in the Eastern Kansas League took notice, and Carey was voted the conference’s offensive player of the year during the fall season. He also was the Kansas Class 6A player of the year, after scoring 14 goals with eight assists for the state champion Blue Valley Northwest squad.
Add one more award to Carey’s collection — The Star’s All-Metro boys soccer player of the year.
In the state title match, Carey scored once in regulation and buried a penalty kick in helping the Huskies gain a 6-5 advantage on penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie in regulation in the Nov. 7 match against Washburn Rural at the College Boulevard Activity Center.
“It feels unbelievable,” said Carey, about his season. “It was my last game ever, and this is the best thing to end it on.”
Carey admits that he was not sure how well he would fit in with the Blue Valley Northwest team. But he added that his teammates embraced him with open arms He said his teammates’ skills, work ethic and brotherhood struck him immediately upon his transfer from St. John’s College High School in Washington D.C.
“I moved here my senior year and didn’t think I would have any friends, but they took me in and they are like my brothers now,” Carey said. “I love all of them.”
BV Northwest finished its season with a 19-1-0 record and the program’s second state title in three seasons. The Huskies were the top-ranked team in the Kansas City area, tabbed eighth by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
The Star’s All-Metro boys soccer team
FORWARDS
Trevor Cissell, St. Pius X, senior. While his season was cut short due to a leg injury, Cissell still scored 40 goals. He broke the Missouri high school career scoring record with 142 goals.
Michael Drake, O’Hara, senior. Drake, the Missouri Class 2 player of the year, scored 40 goals and added 23 assists for the Celtics, who won the first state championship in program history. He scored the only goal in the state final.
Jacob Weaver, Blue Valley Southwest, senior. The Eastern Kansas League’s Player of the Year set a school record with 21 goals this season. He also added eight assists for the state tournament fourth-place Timberwolves.
Nathan Jones, Shawnee Mission Northwest, senior. The Sunflower League’s forward of the year scored 20 goals and added four assists for the Cougars. He was voted to the first team on the Kansas Class 6A all-state squad.
MIDFIELDERS
Keaton Schieffer, Rockhurst, senior. A central midfielder, Schieffer scored 14 goals and had 22 assists for the Hawklets, who placed third in Missouri Class 4. He has committed to Saint Louis University.
Connor Young, Lee’s Summit West, junior. A two-way midfielder, Young led the Titans with 14 goals. He was selected the Suburban Gold Conference player of the year.
Matthew Carey, Blue Valley Northwest, senior. He scored 14 goals and added eight assists for the Kansas Class 6A state champion Huskies. He scored twice in the title game and was voted Kansas Class 6A offensive player of the year.
DEFENDERS
Lucas Bartlett, St. Thomas Aquinas, senior. He scored eight goals and added nine assists for the Kansas Class 5A runner-up Saints. He was first team all-state, Eastern Kansas League defensive player of the year and the NSCAA Player of the Year in Kansas.
Seth Hudson, Park Hill South, senior. Hudson anchored a defense that posted 19 shutouts and allowed 0.39 goals per game. He also contributed to the offense with three goals and two assists.
Griffin Stone, Olathe East, junior. Stone was a major reason the Hawks gave up just four goals in 16 regular-season matches and recorded 13 shutouts during that stretch. Offensively, he had four goals and five assists.
GOALKEEPER
Connor Mathes, Blue Valley Northwest, senior. Mathes, the Kansas Class 6A goalkeeper of the year, helped secure the Huskies’ second state title in three seasons, after the title match went to a penalty-kick shootout. He allowed just 12 goals and appeared in 18 matches for a 0.66 goals-against average this season.
This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 8:22 PM with the headline "BV Northwest’s Matthew Carey is The Star’s All-Metro boys soccer player of the year."