The boy’s varsity soccer team defeated rival Hebew Academy 2-1 in an intense and electrifying matchup on Tuesday afternoon, advancing their PVAC record to 2-1.

From the start, the Lions had multiple scoring opportunities and a strong defensive effort, allowing only three shots on goal by the Cougars. After many close shots and sprints down the field, senior co-captain and defensemen Matthew Lawrenz made a chip shot from beyond the 18-yard box and curved the ball perfectly into the net to score the first goal of the game. 

“We’ve been working on passing and spreading the field, and we did that really well today and that played a huge role in our early lead,” Lawrenz said. 

As the first half ended, the Lions seemed to have the momentum and speed to win the game. However, when the second half began, the Cougars came out strong with several shots, but the Lions’ defense was able to fend them off. 

 Their speed and athleticism showed to be a key factor in their success so far. As the Lions pushed the pace, sophomore striker Jordan Jones had many opportunities to score, and he hit the crossbar three times. Midway through the second half, senior striker Ari Schlactus had a breakaway and scored a goal off the crossbar to make the score 2-0, strengthening their lead.

As the game went on, the Cougars looked for an opportunity or a gap in the defense to narrow their deficit. After a well-placed corner kick, the Cougars were able to score a goal on freshman goalie Josh Einhorn, cutting the Lions lead in half. From there on out, it was a back and forth battle. Both teams had strong opportunities at scoring but unfortunately for the Cougars, the Lions defense was too overwhelming for them as the Lions held until the final whistle was blown. 

Varsity boys’ soccer coach Steve Forestieri expressed how proud he was of his team and the amount of effort they gave. 

“We have worked on specific things during practice for them to accomplish on the field during the game, and they definitely increased the amount of time in both halves of the game. And they were able to consistently and successfully execute what we have worked on,” Forestieri said. “Today was the first game where we saw a big increase in executing what we work on in practice.”

He expressed how as the season continues, he looks for the team to continue working on aspects of the game such as time of possession, the quality of passes and overall teamwork, as these are large contributors to success. 

The Lion’s performance was outstanding and showed just a glimpse of what the team is capable of. Junior midfielder Ben Schreiber expressed the meaning behind winning this game. 

“I mean, we are now two and one in the league, so it was a good victory. We lost against Hebrew Academy last year by a huge margin, but we won today. It was a hard-fought game so it felt good to win,” Schreiber said.