WORCESTER—Seniors Kevyn Urias and King Tyrese Odamtten have been friends since the fifth grade when they began playing soccer together.
Seven years later, they’ve become quite a dynamic duo for Main South, leading the Cougars into state tournament play after capturing their first Central Massachusetts Class D championship this fall.
As two of the top scorers in the Colonial Division, the duo has combined for an impressive 45 goals and 57 points this season. Urias, used as both an attacking midfielder as well as a forward, leads the entire Central Mass. region in overall scoring with a whopping 33 goals and eight assists for 41 points. Odamtten, a forward, has added 12 goals and four assists for 16 points.
“I think we have the best chemistry in the world,” said Odamtten when asked about what it’s been like playing alongside his childhood friend. “We just play so well together. Even off the field, he’s my brother.”
“We all are a family,” added Urias. “No matter what the score was, whatever happened throughout the season, we all stood together.”
Head coach Barbara Battle, in her fifth season at the helm of Main South, has fostered a family spirit and atmosphere within the Cougar program. For instance, the varsity and junior varsity practice together as one unit throughout the season.
“They really love each other,” said Battle. “They really care about the development and that shows in the practices between the varsity and JV players. Everybody knows that they have to work hard to earn their spot.”
Battle has coached some of the varsity players since they were seventh graders, which has allowed Main South to really “cement” as a team over the past few seasons.
The family theme even carries over to Battle’s coaching staff as the assistant coach is Natalie Scherington-Battle, her daughter. The mother and daughter team have coached together for five seasons with Barbara handling overall organization and structure while Natalie utilizes her experience as a former soccer player at Ayer Shirley to assist with skillwork and drills.
“We’ve worked as a team. Neither one of us could do it without the other,” acknowledged Battle.
Nineteenth seeded Main South (11-6-1) will square off against number 46 Pioneer Valley Christian (7-5-3) in the MIAA Division 5 state tournament on Monday, November 4 at Foley Stadium at 3:30 p.m.
The Cougars, who advanced through the first two rounds of the state tournament last fall, are confident they can go even further this time around.
“As long as we stick together we know we can do it. We know we can go pretty far,” said Odamtten.
“We feel like the underdogs so we just have to work hard and just continue until we lose,” added Urias, who serves as a co-captain with junior Elvin Alvarado Velez.
In the Central Mass. playoffs, Urias netted back-to-back hat tricks in a 7-1 win over West Boylston in the semifinals and a 6-2 victory over Whitinsville Christian in the Class D final on October 29 at Ayer Shirley. Odamtten was equally impressive with a goal and four assists against West Boylston before finding the back of the net twice in the final. Sophomore Alex Ayala also tallied twice in the semifinals.
Both students at the University Park Campus School, Urias and Odamtten have been part of the Main South team since they were eighth graders. The Cougar roster is also composed of students from nearby Claremont Academy such as Velez and sophomore goalkeeper Ahmad Omar Osmanzai who has been a part of three shutouts in net. Urias and Odammten have been around for both the highs and lows during the last five years so a regional championship in 2024 has special meaning for them.
“It feels amazing, especially leaving a legacy behind,” said Urias. “I’ve been here since eighth grade and there have been lots of ups and downs throughout the years and we were finally able to achieve it.”
“This season especially, we’ve come so close together,” said Odamtten. “That plays a huge role in us winning and we won a championship because of it.”
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications, and public relations. An avid fan of all sports, Mike enjoys telling the stories of local athletes and their teams. He holds two degrees from Clark University, a bachelor of arts in Communication and a master of science in Professional Communication. He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
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