Owen shuts down Madison, 4-0, on Senior Night
Warhorses look to finish strong Heading into postseason Play
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 23, 2025
Minutes before the Owen soccer team took the field, Oct. 22, for its final regular season home match of the season, the contributions of six seniors, accompanied by family and friends, were recognized at midfield in Warhorse Stadium.
As the 10-3-1 Warhorses hosted 3-14-1 Madison in a Western Highlands Conference showdown, Spencer Woolley, Caleb Mobley, Quinn Copley, Diego Galves, Calvin Barker, Nick Hollowell and their teammates expressed their gratitude by treating the home fans to a 4-0 victory on Senior Night.
The core group of leaders means “everything” to the program, fourth-year head coach Trei Morrison said, following the victory.
“I mean they have grown with us from the very beginning, since they were all freshmen the year we made the state championship run,” the coach said. “Caden and Spencer actually played a little that year, and they’ve all continued to develop.”
The evolution of Woolley, who serves as co-captain of the 2025 Warhorses alongside Mobley, was on prominent display in his final regular season match in the Swannanoa Valley, as he recorded 3 goals against the Patriots. Junior Lyle Sulzman put his team ahead with a goal in the 11th minute, while four different Owen players — Woolley, Mobley, Aaron Bonilla and Charles Reyes Machado — notched assists in the contest.
The Warhorses improved to 7-1-1 in the WHIC with the victory, maintaining sole possession of second place in the conference, behind 7-0-1 Polk County. Owen will close out the regular season on the road, beginning at 6:45 p.m., against Mountain Heritage.
The Senior Night victory marked a great victory in an amazing atmosphere, accentuated by posters and cheering fans, according to Woolley.
“Getting a win on any night is great, but winning tonight was something really special,” he said. “All the seniors got playing time, and it really felt like a celebration. It was awesome.”
The contest represented a full-circle moment in the career of Copley, he said.
“Coming up from junior varsity and watching Trei coach the team my freshman year, it feels amazing being one of the big guys out here, finally,” he said. “It means a lot to get a win like that, for him and my teammates.”
Sharing the moment with the classmates he has known for years was the highlight for Barker.
“We’ve done a lot of work out here, so it feels good to be out here playing with these guys,” he said. “My teammates are my favorite thing about being part of this team.”
The the group holds a special significance in Morrison’s Owen coaching career, in which he has won 50 matches, despite a 2024 season that was interrupted by Helene.
“This is the first graduating group that has been with me the entire time,” Morrison said. “If you’re going to be a coach, you want to have an impact on them in soccer, as players, and hopefully in their lives, as people. I hope they feel that way when they leave here. I wish I had them for one more season.”
The collective dedication to building a strong program is a defining trait of the group, he added.
“We’ve had really good leadership every year, but this has been the best,” Morrison said. “Not just because of one or two guys, but because they all took ownership. They knew we had a young team this season, and they have done an absolutely fantastic job.”
With Woolley’s team-high 34 goals heading into the final match of the season, the Warhorses are focused on closing with a strong performance against the 4-11-1 Cougars, prior to the postseason, which begins, Monday, Nov. 3. The priority, according to the coach, is elevating and maintaining the energy and intensity level.
“We’ll have to take it up a notch, really quickly,” Morrison said. “We should have a first round bye going into the playoffs, but that means we’ll have to be ready to take on that first team, whoever it may be.”
Copley credits his coach for setting a standard for the program when he arrived, as the Warhorses captured the first state championship in Owen soccer history. A strong postseason run remains the ultimate prize, three years later, he added.
“The goal here at Owen is always a state championship,” Copley said. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get it.”
Photos of Owen soccer senior night can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.