Warhawks connect: Humphriss’ brace lifts Germantown boys soccer team

Aug 02, 2023

The Germantown boys soccer team looked very connected in its 4-0 nonconference win over host Hartford on a still and humid Thursday night.

And that is something Warhawk coach James Davis is looking for this year as GT improved its early season record to 2-0.

"This year our main focus is going to be on connecting the various parts of the game better than we have in past years," he said. "We’re looking to play better in all three thirds."

Get daily updates from the Daily News sent directly to your email inbox.

Senior forward Nick Humphriss had two goals and is one of 13 experienced seniors for the Warhawks. He sees an upward trajectory for the team.

"We can definitely do better," he said, referring to the Warhawks 7-9 mark of a year ago. "There are 13 of us (seniors) and we’ve been playing together for 10 years. The goal is to be playing faster with fewer touches, and longer, cleaner passes."

For first-year Hartford coach Charlie Breit, whose team is now 1-1 so far, a loss such as this is all part of a growing process.

"You saw where that size and age advantage came in handy (for Germantown)," he said. "They did a great job making themselves a nuisance to us. They got us out of our system and we just didn’t play our style tonight."

Germantown, which had opened the season with a 6-0 win over area rival Kettle Moraine Lutheran on Tuesday, was in control of the game right from the beginning, putting relentless pressure on Orioles’ senior keeper Keegan Homuth in the first half and junior Klay Schoonover in the second session.

Senior Mason Freiburger put the Warhawks ahead for good at the 8:20 mark of the first half on a close-in shot with help from fellow upperclassman Bennett Krause.

The Warhawks had numerous corner kicks and rushes all night but Hartford was able to get the occasional opportunity. The Orioles nearly tied it in the 37th minute, but first-year senior Warhawk goalie Jamie Gaurkee made a great tip save to keep the game from being tied.

Germantown went into the half with a 1-0 lead but it didn’t take long for the Warhawks to make themselves more comfortable in the second half.

After a corner kick in the first minute of the second session, the rebound ricocheted out to the middle of the field, where Warhawk junior Trevor Newkirk was all alone. He then one-timed a shot from about 30 yards out for a 2-0 GT advantage at the 41:20 mark.

The Warhawks remained on the attack and at 67:22, Humphriss notched his first score of the game on a point-blank shot from inside 10 yards on the right side. Junior Reid Newkirk hit him with a sharp, short pass that left him wide open.

Hartford had one more good chance just two minutes later as a corner kick was lofted in perfectly to the far left side of the Germantown goal. The resulting header was timed perfectly, but Gaurkee leaped and made a great save to keep the Orioles off the board.

And a few moments later, the Warhawks added the cream to the coffee. Just as Davis wanted them too, they pushed the ball downfield rapidly and senior Joey Melka hit Humphriss for another well-placed goal to make it 4-0 at the 70:01 mark.

For Breit, a West Bend native whose Orioles beat defending East Central Conference champion and WIAA sectional finalist Plymouth, 1-0, to open their season on Aug. 22, these are early steps in turning things around.

“We were brought in to try and rebuild the culture,” said Breit, who earlier in his career headed up the powerhouse Muskego program. “We’re learning how to value practices and new techniques.

“We’re trying to get back to where we once were. We put all the pieces together, we can be competitive again.”

Hartford was 6-15-2 last season. Meanwhile, Germantown will look to continue to connect the dots.

“We’re getting down the field faster and valuing possessions,” Humphriss said. “We keep doing that, we’ll be OK.”

“We have a good sized senior class with a lot of returning starters, we have high expectations this year,” added Davis. “We’ve played well, but our finishing is still a work in progress.”

Hartford visits Waukesha South Saturday. Germantown hosts Wauwatosa West to open Greater Metro Conference play Tuesday.