Durham Jordan soccer coach Steve Turner is frustrated: The Falcons' opponent during a recent game, Northern Durham, has decided to back eight or nine guys into the box in an effort to stymie Jordan's high-powered offense.
"When that happens it's tough to break through," Turner explains. "It's very frustrating to play against."
But Jordan, which is ranked No. 9 in the nation, is getting used to this strategy, because teams know they can't match the Falcons’ firepower -- thus holding on for dear life is the only alternative.
"We possess the ball well and that allows us to dominate teams," said Falcons junior Nolan Cain.
Indeed, Jordan's ability to find the open man is what you first notice. The ball stays on a player’s foot for only a second, and just as quickly, it seems, two more precision passes have taken place and now the opposition finds itself in trouble.
"We have an incredible amount of talent on this team," Turner admits. "Our players’ skill level is very high, plus we have four magnificent defenders and a superb keeper."
And now, maybe for the first time, the 13-0 Falcons have the confidence to match their talent level. Jordan has already knocked off two teams that in the past have given them fits.
"Beating Broughton and Green Hope early in the season really gave us confidence," said senior Senyonjo Mukungu on Jordan's wins over two of the top teams from the Raleigh area. "Now I know going in that we can beat any team, it was just a matter of finally breaking through."
Cain agrees.
"Beating Broughton and Green Hope was really big because we hadn't beaten them in a long time,” he said. “We knew we were good, but we had to prove it to ourselves. They (Raleigh) have a lot of good teams, but we feel we are just as good."
The Raleigh-area schools are known for their rich traditions. Broughton, Sanderson, and most recently, Green Hope and Leesville Road are nationally known. Sanderson, in fact, is just a few notches below Jordan in the national rankings at No. 13.
Turner knows that come playoff time, the Raleigh schools will be ready to make a playoff run.
"I think the Raleigh schools are in a war every Monday and Wednesday; we are in a war maybe once every two weeks." He said.
So Jordan's playoff preparation comes at practice, and the intense competition there has helped the Falcons, who travel to East Chapel Hill on Thursday, become one of the deepest teams in the state. Jordan, has gotten goals from 17 different players, led by Brian Roque's team-leading nine.
"We like to keep guys fresh," Turner said. "Last season we were real tired at the end of the year. Now we are trying to build playoff toughness, something we didn't have last year or the year before."
But there's another obstacle the Falcons have to navigate: "We have the curse of being No. 1,” Turner said. “The top-ranked team never seems to win it."
It's a challenge his players have seemed to embrace.
"It's an exciting experience, and we should take advantage of it," Mukungu said of the Falcons’ lofty ranking. "We should see if we can go higher and become the No. 1 team in the nation."
And that's something not even a Raleigh school has ever been able to accomplish.
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