Varsity Boys Soccer Sets the Standard

"During preseason this year, everyone on the team spoke strongly about wanting to add to the (NYSAIS banner) that will go up in the Fonseca Center gym, with ambitions to win not only the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) league (title), but also the FAA tournament and the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) tournament, if we qualify," senior Oluwademilade (Demi) Oni said. 

That laser-focused mindset is summed up neatly on a slogan that's emblazoned on the back of the team's warmup shirts: "The Masters Standards." 

Those standards have been sky-high in 2022 — and the Panthers have delivered.

Masters (10-1-2) blanked visiting Loyola, 6-0, on Monday, October 24 to secure their second straight season with double-digit wins. They are unbeaten in their last six matches, also securing wins over Wooster (2-1 on October 22), Greens Farms (3-2 on October 15), Rye Country Day (4-1 on October 11), Hamden Hall (3-0 on October 8) and a hard-fought 1-1 draw against FAA foe King on October 19.

"We set the tone early during the first day of preseason this year," assistant coach Neil Jaggernauth said. "Our goals since then are to set the standard for Masters boys varsity soccer for generations to come."

Oni, a talented striker with plus speed and skill to spare, powered Masters during the six-game stretch, totaling a combined six goals. He has amassed an impressive 13 goals in just 12 matches, cementing himself as one the FAA's top players. The 13 goals were an important milestone for Oni, who headed into the fall aiming to surpass the 12 goals scored by former Masters star Oladayo Thomas ’17 in 2017. Thomas continued his career at Santa Clara University, where he's now a bonafide star at the Division I level. 

"Demi has always had all of the physical tools and traits necessary to play at this level – let’s not forget he scored 10 goals last year," Jaggernauth said. "First and foremost, it is his decision-making and ability to make his teammates better. He is not trying to do it all himself and sharing the ball with his teammates at the appropriate times. Also, the intangible part of it is that he has an inner hunger and competitive drive that he is just learning how to harness in a productive way."

 

Masters has gotten contributions from all over its lineup. 

Against Loyola, seniors accounted for all six of the goals. In addition to the two from Oni, Stephen Skrenta, Nick Lusardi, Marco Ferrando and Ian Stein notched one apiece. Gabe Guerrero ’24, Luca De Salvo ’26, Richik Acharya ’23, David Ferrando ’23, David Medina ’23 and Baruch Hidalgo ’24 also found the back of the net at least once during the six-match unbeaten stretch. 

The Panthers will wrap up their FAA schedule with a crucial match at St. Luke's on Friday, October 28. A victory over St. Luke's would keep the Panthers in the regular-season league title race.

The FAA postseason tournament, meanwhile, gets underway with the quarterfinal round on Monday, November 7. The Panthers will await their seed and opponent as the regular season draws to a close next week.

Looking ahead, a sharp mental game will be equally important for Masters, which is vying for its third FAA championship and first since 2016. 

"It can be easy to fall victim to the emotions and atmosphere of postseason games, playing in front of large crowds of your friends at school, but losing sight of the ultimate goal, which is to win the championship," Oni said. "And so ultimately we'll just have to make sure to stick together, do our jobs, and not lose sight of why we're playing in the postseason."