CHOCOWINITY — Tucked behind the Haw Branch Church of Christ, geometrically squeezed into an old baseball outfield, the pristinely manicured Unity Christian Academy soccer pitch is lined by woods on one end and a bean field on the other. During a match, ball boys and girls can often be found rummaging through the foliage, peeling back the brush in hopes of finding a glimpse of white.

There’s been a lot of shots taken on the Warriors’ field this season — some sailing over the crossbar, others finding the back of the net — but when junior striker Avery Bowen touches the ball, most of the time, the ball boys and girls can rest easy.

“We know he’s a dangerous player, perhaps the most dangerous player we’ve seen all year,” said Terra Ceia coach Nate Burns after a Terra Ceia victory over Unity on Friday. “He demands respect. We wanted to make sure we knew where he was at all times and kept a body on him. If he turns and shoots, it’s money almost every time.”

Many coaches have tried to shut down Unity’s secret goal-scoring weapon with little to no success. Without a winning season in the young program’s four years of operation, it can be easy for an opposing team to take the Warriors for granted, but underestimating their striker can be a fatal mistake.

“I kind of like the underdog label, but at the same time I kind of wish I had (the publicity) that Washington has,” Bowen said. “It is a cool feeling because no one really knows about me until I show up.”

Bowen went without a goal against Terra Ceia on Friday, concluding the 12-game slate with 43 goals, shattering the Unity single-season record set by Bowen last season. The junior forward was instrumental in the team’s 5-5-2 record this season, the best in team history, as head coach Shawn Harding’s game plan was built around the offense.

“We’re a small school having to play some young kids. I’m tickled to death as where we are,” Harding said.

“I went into the season knowing we were going to struggle a bit defensively. There’s a couple ways to play soccer, but I figured let’s see if we can outscore people. I put him up front as one forward and said go get ‘em, score as much as you can.”

This season, Bowen has worked alongside midfielder Ryan Kolibabeck and recent transfer Mario Bartolo in a high-powered offense built around speed. Both midfielders have racked up assists, adequately supporting Bowen up front.

As a leader, Bowen possesses all the intangibles — talented, unselfish, outspoken and confident. In building a program, those qualities are vital to future success. As a player, the combination of speed and power has propelled him to one of the county’s top scoring threats.

“Most places we go, people don’t know the talent he is and he’s got three goals before they even know what happened,” Harding said. “Avery can play any sport. I joke with him what’s his best sport, soccer or basketball. He’s an incredible scorer and just a pure athlete.

“He started with the record and has way outdone everything. He’s probably set the bar so high, I don’t know if we’ll ever have a guy break that record.”