In the middle of a 12-match undefeated streak and with two games remaining on their schedule, Brazos Valley Cavalry FC secured the Mid-South Division title and will advance to the USL League Two playoffs.
After falling short of the Southern Conference final in the last season under the PDL brand in 2018, the first season under the USL League Two branding has been one to remember for Brazos Valley Cavalry FC. The team has earned 32 of a possible 36 points, going 10-0-2 this season.
While the playoffs for any team is the goal, head coach Kenny Bundy saw the season with a different end goal in mind.
“We never really focused on winning the league,” Bundy said about his main season goal. “We focused on winning the first four games. Then, we focused on games five to eight, and after game eight, we focused on each game individually.
“It’s been about showcasing the players, and really bringing players into the Dynamo system that we would want to look at in the future for our USL and first team.”
The team has scored 46 goals from 17 different goal scorers, highlighted by University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley senior forward Kyle Edwards, who is tied for the league lead with 12. Edwards, who scored 14 goals in his first season with the Vaqueros last year as part of his all-WAC First Team season, has only been kept off the scoresheet once this year in his 10 appearances for Brazos Valley.
Though the offense thrived for a majority of the season, Bundy saw the goal scoring as a defensive boost for the team.
“Honestly, I think the reason we have so many players that have scored goals is the team chemistry, but that number is not something we’re really, really proud of at the end of the day,” Bundy said of the team’s offense.
“I think that if you look at the number of clean sheets we have, and the number of goals conceded. That’s a number that we, as a group, from the very beginning have really grasped onto, understanding that if we can keep clean sheets, we have the quality to score goals.”
The defense is headlined by Loyola-Maryland junior goalkeeper Chase Vosvick, who has registered six clean sheets while making 68 saves. The two-time defending Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year has a 0.80 goals/match percentage, while also adding two assists on the offensive side of the ball. Additionally, New Mexico sophomore Alex Fetterly has registered one clean sheet in his two appearances for Brazos Valley.
Following a 10-match consecutive win streak to start their season, Brazos Valley Cavalry FC played to back-to-back draws at home against Mississippi Brilla FC on June 28 and June 30, each by a score of 3-3 to snap the win streak. Brazos Valley got their revenge when they traveled to Clinton, Mississippi on July 3, beating Brilla 4-1, highlighted by West Virginia senior forward Tsubasa Takada’s long solo breakaway goal.
Brazos Valley Cavalry FC knew of their clinched division title before their match yesterday, when they took on Houston FC. With the title in hand, the squad took a 3-0 victory to end their regular season road schedule undefeated.
“I think if you watched our performance last night, and knowing that we’d already clinched the playoff spot, you can see that our goal wasn’t just that,” Bundy said about the game. “Our goal is to perform every day, to showcase the players and how we’re playing.
“I think last night showed exactly how we looked at the season, and it’s about every performance being an opportunity to be our best.”
Brazos Valley Cavalry FC will close out their regular season this weekend with two home matches, hosting Corpus Christi FC on Thursday and AHFC Royals on Saturday, both at 7:30 pm CT.
