After Tragic Spring, Local Soccer Team Pushes for National Title

The young men of the ASA Black Hawks soccer team are more than just teammates, they’re brothers. Not by blood, but by the blood spilled on the soccer field for one another in the heat of competition.

Many of them have been playing together for at least three years and despite their ethnic or geographical differences, the boys are united by their love of the game and commitment to one another.

“[My teammates] are like my family. I love them all. They’re great teammates and great players,” said Deion Hunter.

But, this past spring, the young men faced the greatest test of their brotherhood after losing their biggest fan, Deion’s father and Maryland State Trooper, Shaft S. Hunter.  

Killed in an on-duty accident in May, Hunter’s death brought the team together and gave further motivation to shoot for the stars, said Rose Hunter, his wife.

Shaft Hunter repeatedly worked overtime and spear-headed other fund-raising efforts to ensure the team could travel and attend tournaments, said Rose Hunter.

In a storybook-like manner after Shaft Hunter’s death, the Hanover-based soccer club won the U.S. Club Regional Championships in June and received an invitation to the U.S. Club Soccer National Finals in Boise, ID. In the absence of Shaft Hunter, the team members and their parents have rallied together to ensure that the boys make it to Idaho.

In hosting raffles for the FC Barcelona vs. Manchester United soccer game at FedEx field on July 30 and yard sales, the team is looking to raise 100 percent of the $18,000 needed to send the team and its coaches to the national tournament, where the boys hope to leave a legacy in the honor of Hunter.

“For [the boys], it was a grieving period, but it helped these guys a lot,” Rose Hunter said. “This is going to mean a lot.”

Drenched in sweat, the boys practiced last Saturday in the 100-degree heat at Meade High School to prepare for the national finals.

“We’re playing the big boys in four days, let’s go!” said head coach Michael Arandia.

A native of Bolivia, Arandia commutes two hours several times a week from Burke, VA, to coach the young men.

“These kids inspire me on a day-to-day basis,” Arandia said. “Sometimes I come here and I don’t feel like running or working in this heat but these kids inspire me to work hard. They work hard for me, that’s all I could ask for.”

The head coach said the difficulty of losing Deion’s father has brought the unity of the boys to a whole new level—a factor that he hopes will long outlast the upcoming tournament.

“Regardless of what happens, win or lose, the key factor here is the boys giving everything they have,” Arandia said. “Obviously it would be great to win. It would be a dream, and a dream I think that we can achieve.”

The local boys will be going up against the best young talent in the country, many of which attend year-round soccer academies that focus exclusively on the sport. A team comprised of players from all over, including Virginia, the Black Hawks are eager to see how they match up against “the big boys.”

When asked what surprises they have in store for the more trained and more financed opponents awaiting them in Idaho, they said, “teamwork and heart.”

“Just stay together as a family. I think we’ll be fine,” Deion said.