Varsity Boys’ Soccer Edges King in FAA Quarters

The varsity boys’ soccer squad pulled a rabbit out of its hat in the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) quarterfinal round on Tuesday, November 6.

The No. 5-seeded Panthers overcame a 1-0 deficit late in the second half to stun host and No. 4-seeded King School, 2-1, in double-overtime. Daniel Medina ’22 buried the game-winning goal on a diving header in the 107th minute off a cross from Noel Gorodetsky ’19. 
 
“This team knows what it is like to come from behind — particularly against King,” assistant coach Brendon Barrios said, referencing last year’s victory over King in penalty kicks of the FAA playoffs. “I think the seniors knew we needed a moment of brilliance. Once we got back into the game, I knew we would go on to win it.”
 
Jacob Vietorisz ’19 provided that moment of brilliance, depositing the equalizer in the 75th minute. It came after the Panthers switched to a more offensive-minded formation, pushing Vietorisz, a stalwart defender, into an attacking role.
 
“We recognized at that point that we had to put shots on goal,” Barrios said. “Given that it was raining and wet, we knew that anything could go in. Jacob got the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and let a low, hard, shot go. The ball skipped on the wet surface right under the goalie’s arm.”
 
Masters went 2-3-1 in league play during the regular season, with all three losses coming by a single goal, including a 1-0 setback against King on Wednesday, October 17.
 
“We have been waiting for a signature win all season,” Barrios said. “We have been on the wrong side of so many one-goal losses. However, we knew that we were so close to having a lot of those results flip our way. Going into King, we knew that margin would, again, be slim, and I think we did the little things to finally get a result to fall our way.”

The Panthers suffered a hard-fought, 2-1 (2OT), loss on the road against top-seeded Hopkins in the FAA semifinal round on Thursday, November 8. It was a rematch of last year’s FAA championship match. With a slew of talented players slated to return next season, the future certainly looks bright for Masters.

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