Westminster soccer coach Chuck Beaver isn't one to talk in front of a large crowd.
A classroom of 30 or 40 kids is one thing, but a banquet filled with more than 100 players and parents is another.
Except for last Thursday. And except when he's talking soccer -- particularly Westminster soccer.
"I was amazed how calm I was, I didn't even use any notes," said Beaver of his effort at the team banquet. "Maybe it was from talking about the team so much the past few months."
Beaver definitely had reason to talk about his Owls this season.
They captured their first county title in 12 years in grand fashion -- going 5-0 -- and also won the Central Maryland Conference crown.
Those accomplishments were a major reason why Beaver was chosen The Baltimore Sun's 1992 boys soccer Coach of the Year in Carroll County.
"I told the group [Thursday] this was one class I hate to see graduate," Beaver said.
"The thing that makes this team so special is that they set their own goals at the start of the season and accomplished them."
The Owls finished 7-4-1 for the season. The nine-year coach said the difference this season was the Owls won the games they had to win.
"The Liberty game was definitely the turnaround game for us this season," Beaver said.
It made the Owls the team to beat with a 3-0 mark in the county and gave them the lead in the CMC.
After waiting nine years for the county title, Beaver wasn't ready to acknowledge his team's crown until the final county game was played.
Despite clinching the title after going 4-0 with a win against North Carroll, Beaver was reluctant to comment knowing he still had a hungry South Carroll team to play.
"After beating North Carroll, by all rights we won the county championship," he said.
"But we had the opportunity to finish with a perfect [county] record. And I didn't want to give them any incentive by seeing we were already declared county champs. That would no doubt have found its way in the [South Carroll] locker room."