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11/02/2023 08:24 AMKawan Batista has mainly played a complementary role for the Morgan boys’ soccer team, but on Senior Night, he had a moment to remember.
Kawan scored not once ... not twice ... but three times in a 4-0 win over Hale-Ray on Oct. 13, making the most of a golden opportunity.
“It was a really good feeling,” Kawan says. “Senior Night, a big night. It was really surprising. I wasn’t expecting to get a goal at all. I ended up with three.”
Kawan typically doesn’t play much. His role, he says, is to offer “team support and help out if we’re in need.” But because it was Senior Night, Kawan was featured more prominently.
“I [usually] don’t really start,” Kawan says, rather matter-of-factly. “I’m not in the best condition. Normally when I play, it’s just against the easier teams.”
But again, this time was different. This time, Kawan was on the pitch from the jump. This time, he even found a way to score.
Kawan back-heeled a cross for his first goal. His second goal came in similar fashion, with Kawan standing alone in the box for another tap-in. And the third?
“Similar to that where I was open again,” Kawan says. “Teammates crossed it, I just hit it in.”
The goals caught Kawan by surprise, each one more satisfying than the next. His previous four goals came at the junior-varsity level. These ones mattered a bit more.
“He knew his role coming into the season and into the game,” Coach Ross Demay says. “He played the position like we needed to. When he had his opportunities, he put them away.”
Morgan improved to 5-4-2, the first of five-straight victories. Now 9-6-2, Morgan is gearing up for the state tournament, back in Class S for the first time since 2018. The Huskies are coming off a 2-1 loss to Portland in the Shoreline Conference quarterfinals, their second defeat in a row.
Regardless of what happens, Kawan will be there cheering on his teammates. He’s been a steady presence for the team through the years, despite a slew of adversity.
Kawan broke his wrist late in his sophomore year, then missed his entire junior season after fracturing it a second time during the summer. While he obviously wasn’t able to do much while sidelined, Kawan’s determination never suffered. His goal was to get back on the pitch, and that he did.
“He hasn’t been discouraged,” Demay says. “When he’s had his time...he’s done what he’s needed to produce.”
Demay knows Kawan well. Prior to high school, he coached Kawan at the travel level. Based on those experiences, he praised Kawan’s IQ for the game while also complimenting his role as a teammate. Put succinctly, Kawan “picks up kids and reassures them.”
“He’s really matured,” Demay says. “For the time I’ve had him, as a youth player until now, he’s really matured. He’s grown to accept his role.”
Much to his credit, Kawan plans to embrace that role for as long as the season continues. The state tournament is single elimination, meaning any match could be its last for 2023. The first round begins Nov. 7.
“I’m just here to help the team if they need me,” Kawan says. “If not, it’s fine. I just help them out on the bench...keep training hard.”
Of course, every little bit helps. At the moment, there’s not a whole lot of margin for error for Morgan. Demay knows this. He’s trying to get the Huskies to quit playing to their level of competition. Undoubtedly, that must change for them to make a serious run in the state tournament. The Huskies haven’t gotten past the quarterfinals since back-to-back finals appearances in 2017 and 2018.
“If we play to our potential, we can give anybody a run,” Demay says. “Typically we’ve made one mistake that’s put us behind, and we’ve had to fight back the entire time.”