The varsity boys’ soccer team got off to a hot start, winning their first three games of the year. The win streak created excitement around the school as the boys were about to take on rival Churchill.
The fans dressed for a blackout theme, and people were saying, “always wear black to funerals.”
Though the intent of this was metaphoric, it was seen as controversial by the Churchill community. This created greater tension between the two schools before the matchup, adding to the historic rivalry.
On Sept.18, the highly anticipated game began at Churchill. Wootton scored the first goal when senior midfielder Fransis Meyer sent a through ball to senior midfielder Alek Wroblewski, who sent the ball to the bottom left corner of the net. Wroblewski ran toward the student section and jumped up while throwing his fist in the air. “I wanted to get the crowd engaged, momentum is something so crazy when you play against a rival,” Wroblewski said.
The score was 1-0 at halftime. Churchill tied the game up early on in the second half, but not for long. Wroblewski scored again to put the Patriots up 2-1. With 30 minutes remaining in the half the Bulldogs knotted the game up at 2-2.
Every time the Bulldogs scored, the Patriots seemed to have an answer. Senior defender Arden Matikyan placed a header in the back left to put the Patriots ahead 3-2. Senior defender CJ Zmuda put a brace on the game with the final goal. The Patriots won 4-2.
After going 4-0 to start the season, the Washington Post gave the team recognition. According to the Washington Post, the Patriots are the second best team in the DMV.
On Sept. 21 the boys took on Clarksburg on the road. Three minutes before halftime, Wrobleski scored to put the Patriots up 1-0. Clarksburg came back in the second half to tie the game 1-1. The refs disallowed three goals by the Patriots throughout the game. Tempers flared and head coach Doug Schuessler got a red card and was thrown out of the game. Wroblewski had the game winner in overtime.
On Sept. 23 the Patriots faced Richard Montgomery. With coach Schuessler out, there was skepticism about whether the Patriots would be able to remain undefeated. The first half was a nail-biter. Senior defender Michael Auth had the only Patriots goal in the first half. The game was tied 1-1 at half. The second half was not so close: senior striker Andy Ram led the way with two goals. Senior midfielders Gabe Pernie, Griffin Ford and Wroblewski had one goal each. The Patriots won 6-1.
The Patriots faced Sherwood on Sept. 28. The Patriots dominated from start to finish, with a final score of 7-2. The team has conceded only 1.46 goals per game, “Our defense has played amazing, I couldn’t do it without them,” senior goalkeeper Jonathan Lee said.
The Patriots are now 6-0 on the season. Their games versus Quince Orchard on Oct. 2 and Northwest on Oct. 4 were too late to be covered in this issue.
