As the Patriots got out to a slow start of 0-2 on the season, they looked to get back on track against Quince Orchard on April 9.
The Patriots got out to an early lead, as sophomore midfielder TJ Douglas scored the first goal of the game in the first 15 seconds. The game intensified as the first quarter came to a close. Sophomore attackman Ben Bloch had two crucial penalties that gave the Cougars man-up opportunities in the first half. They cashed in on both, taking a 4-3 lead into the halftime break. “I need to be smarter with how I act during the games. It’s basically giving them goals,” Bloch said.

The Cougars struck first in the second half and continued to add to their lead. However, the Patriots wouldn’t go away. Freshman attackman Aidan Graham scored to cut the lead to 7-4 heading into the fourth quarter. Freshman midfielder Brandon Powell cut the lead to 7-5 with four minutes left in the game.

In addition to that goal, the Patriots had a man-up opportunity to try to make a late comeback. However, it was too late as Bloch scored with two seconds left, but the Patriots were still down one goal. “We need to have more urgency during the game. We shouldn’t wait until late to be scoring all of these goals,” sophomore midfielder Preston Butler said.

The team looked ahead to their next game against Northwest on April 13. The Patriots wanted to get their first win before they went back home for their next game. “Confidence is a big part of the game in any sport, and if we have it we will most likely win,” freshman midfielder Jack Briskman said.

The Patriots had the momentum as they took a 2-1 lead heading into the second quarter. Sophomore attackman Ben Bloch went on a tear, scoring three goals in the first half, as the team felt confident down the stretch.

The Patriots were up 3-2 when freshman attackman Aidan Graham scored as time expired, taking a 4-2 lead into the half. The game went back and forth until the Patriots finally pulled away, winning the game 8-4. “It was great to get our first win on the season, but now we have to get back to practice and win another one,” freshman midfielder Jack Greene said.

The team kept the momentum rolling when they hosted Clarksburg on April 16. The game was in their control the entire time, as they took the win 10-8. “We knew we could be a winning team all along, and now it’s finally showing on the field,” sophomore defender Benjamin Fritz said.

The Clarksburg win combined with a hard fought win at Gaithersburg on April 18, gave the Patriots a 3-3 record on the season. Freshman midfielder Michael Gordon was a big part of the Patriots win at Gaithersburg, as he scored his first goal of the season to help the team get the win. The Patriots play away at Churchill on April 25, and play away against The Heights today.

Josh Levine

Staff writer