Underdog Clover upsets top-ranked Wando to win AAAAA Division I boys soccer state title
Blue Eagles' Evan Trubilio’s goal in second overtime leads to 1-0 triumph
Columbia – Not many outside of the Clover High School soccer community felt their Blue Eagles could upset the top-ranked team in the state, Wando, in the AAAAA Division I state championship game.
Games are not played on paper though and desire and intensity cannot be measured. Clover suffered through a 3-hour rain delay and went to overtime before Evan Trubilio’s goal in the second overtime proved to be the game winner, 1-0, at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, May 23.
The loss ended Wando’s winning streak at 23. The Warriors lost their opener and their finale. Wando played shirt-handed in the later stages of the game after red cards sent two players to the bench.
For Clover, head coach Todd Sykes felt all along that his 2026 team could be a contender but realized things had to go its way. His team was not intimidated by the powerhouse.
“They were super confident going into the finals,” said Sykes, who is in his second season as head coach but has 27 years of experience coaching in Clover’s club program. “We had not allowed a goal through the playoffs and we had nine clean sheets during the season. We knew we could hang with them, but we just couldn’t give up an early goal.
“We did great scouting to help us prepare for how they play. These boys have all played a high level through club for many years so they knew what it would take.”
Clover won 16 games last year and had decent experience returning. As the team learned to play as one, there were some losses along the way. However, Sykes saw his team gradually turn the corner.
“We knew we had the ability to play with anyone coming into this year,” he said. “We were young and we just needed the time to come into our own and play our style. The goal from the beginning of the season was to make it to the finals. We were very good but we needed a little time to gel. We played a very tough schedule so we took some losses. But we learned from each loss and things started to come together over the last 10 games (nine wins).”
Sykes credits the leadership of two senior captains, Tubilio and keeper Cohen Brinkley. Tubilio scored the game winner and Brinkley’s incredible save on a wide- open shot with 40 seconds to play preserved the win.
