VHS senior brings soccer to the masses

It’s the start of the Pirates’ Oct. 3 match against the Seattle Christian Warriors, and sophomore Isa Knowler is about to line up an early surprise on the goal.

“It’s fired in, this one’s on target, and the keeper completely missed it!” calls out the voice from the box.

The ball is in — the crowd loses their mind — and the announcer is taking everyone along for the ride.

“Call it luck if you want, nevertheless, Isa Knowler has her first goal of the season, and it’s one-nil to the Pirates with not four minutes off the clock,” he exclaims.

Fans of Vashon soccer already know to whom that voice belongs. It’s Vashon High School senior Oscar Lopez, who has provided color commentary and play calling for the island’s soccer teams through the Voice of Vashon (VoV) since he was a sophomore.

(He’s also the grandson of Cornelius Lopez, who retired from McMurray Middle school last year after a 60-year career in education.)

Lopez has called nearly every Vashon High School girls and boys soccer game over the last two years. The spring boy’s season will be Lopez’ last, as he graduates this year. Often at his side since he started play-calling at 16 has been his dad, Jamie Lopez, or VoV’s senior announcer David Leonhardt.

Practice makes perfect

Lopez’ passion for sports begins with his parents — “we’re a huge sports family,” he said. He’s particularly into soccer, a sport which he dragged his family into by way of the World Cup.

“I’ve played (soccer) my whole life,” he said. “I’m not great, but I really, really like it.”

His love for announcing has always been there, too — he grew up listening to and learning from football announcers such as Cris Collinsworth, Joe Buck and Al Michaels. But the figure he really looks up to is British soccer commentator Peter Drury.

“He’s incredible … at taking a moment and making it bigger,” Lopez said.

And as a youngster playing FIFA, a soccer video game for the PlayStation, Lopez noticed the announcers in the game and even found himself commentating while playing the game.

Lopez turned out to be a natural when he reached out to Leonhardt to join the VoV team, recalled Kate Dowling, executive director of Voice of Vashon.

“I was thrilled,” Dowling said. “We’re always looking for youth voices on our station.”

Leonhardt coached Lopez early on and was “instrumental” in his development, Dowling said.

“David was always a play caller, and he allowed Oscar to kind of step into that role,” she said. “David was really lovely in saying ‘Hey, great, take the reins.’ “

Lopez started with color commentary, but it was only his third game as a commentator when Leonhardt couldn’t make it to one of the games — so Lopez jumped in to deliver the play-by-play with producer Dan Schueler bringing the color.

(Color commentary offers analysis and background on the game and players, while play-by-play announcers focus on the action as it happens in the game.)

“There were definitely nerves,” Lopez said, “but it clicked for me pretty well.”

Lopez began to take on more responsibility, and his dad Jamie came in to join the announcing team, too. Jamie Lopez is “very good at engaging the audience” and has the skills and witticism to keep the energy and the positivity high even when the action on the field is sluggish, Oscar Lopez said.

As time went on, he gained confidence in his voice — announcing with his chest rather than tapering off into a mumble at the end. It’s made him a more confident public speaker, Lopez said.

And it was over the next few seasons, announcing with his dad, that Lopez realized: “This is my calling.”

Calling the shots

Points are typically scored less frequently in soccer than other sports, which means each goal is itself a bigger moment — for both teams, fans and announcers.

“In a close game, in a good game, the goal is the big moment,” Lopez said. “[Ideally], I try to reflect that by giving it my highest energy, and that’ll translate into my loudest voice. … Why is this big? Let’s make this big. And then my color guy says, ‘all right, let’s back it up, how did this happen?’ “

While he’s calling soccer games, Lopez breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of both teams, the big swings and the misplays, the passes and shots and catches. He explains both how and why the teams are performing on the field, from training to injuries to sometimes, just plain luck.

And when Vashon ballers are lagging in energy, focus or coordination, he says so — always framed around how they could be doing better.

But it’s a test when a game is really going poorly for the Pirates. How do you maintain energy and enthusiasm?

“It’s those situations where my dad is best,” Lopez said. “He keeps the audience engaged and makes it fun when it isn’t. He jokes. … He had this whole tangent a season or two ago about somebody who brought a Harry Styles towel to the game … and the audience loved it. … For me, I focus more on the big picture. What does this mean? How can we improve on this down the road?”

His play calling has earned him fans, including Lisa MacLean, the mother of Vashon soccer players Avery MacLean and Maren MacLean (now graduated).

Lopez has brought joy and camaraderie to the soccer community, MacLean said. That includes bestowing nicknames on the players (Avery, for instance, is “The People’s Champ”) which is “a great source of entertainment,” she said.

And Lopez has done “a great service” by keeping statistics, sharing observations about strategy, and bringing far-away games to listeners wherever they are, she said.

“I think he brings a real professionalism to it,” MacLean said. “I remember flying over the Pacific Ocean, coming home from a trip to Asia, and through my web browser, I was able to get the game that I was so sad to be missing. To hear the excitement in Oscar’s voice … helped me feel like I wasn’t so far away.”

Oscar’s frank appraisal of the Pirates’ performance is valuable too, she said.

“Oscar doesn’t hold back, and he’s not always 100% rosy about our team or individual players,” MacLean said. “He has his critiques. … Sometimes things sting a little bit, but I think that comes with the territory. … (And) I think he is a great journalist. He really is focused on doing it well.”

Building community

Lopez also hosts the Vashon Island Sports Machine, a show on VoV in which he interviews coaches and athletes about the island’s sports programs. (Dowling’s husband started the show originally.)

“He organizes everything, gets people on the show, develops the content,” Dowling said. “And it’s a really fantastic show.”

His dad Jamie has been instrumental in supporting Oscar’s success, Dowling said.

With graduation on the horizon, Lopez won’t be easy to replace at the station.

“It’s just been so fun to work with him,” Dowling said. “It’s been quite a while since we’ve had a youth so engaged at the station, and we will absolutely miss him.”

But Dowling is excited to hear his voice on the radio after high school — whether at a college station, for the Seattle Sounders, or even beyond.

Lopez is knee-deep in college applications but plans to take a gap year to save up money, get back into refereeing and explore coaching, too. He’d also like to take a trip to Europe, where his referee credentials will allow him to explore the game on the other side of the pond.

Lopez said he’d like to study journalism to broaden his skills in the sports broadcasting world. He’d love to find a school that lets him get right back in the seat to call games, and his dream would be to sign with NBC to handle the American coverage of the Premier League — or to call for the Liverpool Football Club.

Wherever he goes, the most important part of commentating is simple, Lopez said: It’s about loving what you’re doing.

“You ask any announcer — all the pros — there’s technical stuff, there’s research, but you have to love what you’re doing,” he said.

Oscar Lopez (left) and his dad Jamie Lopez announce the Oct. 3 match between the Vashon Pirates and the Seattle Christian Warriors at Vashon High School. (Alex Bruell photo)