The Patriots faced off against the Rockville Rams on Oct. 17. It was the coldest day of the season up to this point.
The Patriots did not get off to a hot start, conceding a goal in the first five minutes. Senior midfielder Alek Wroblewski scored on a counter minutes later to tie the game at 1-1. Wroblewski dominated the remainder of the first half, adding two more goals to give himself a hat trick. The Patriots led 3-1 at half. Wroblewski said on potentially breaking the school’s scoring record: “I want a championship, not a record.”
Wroblewski scored his fourth goal of the game early in the second half. Soon after, senior striker Andy Ram had a deep shot ring off the crossbar, Junior midfielder Alex Ochman followed it up with a header, putting the Patriots up 5-1. Ochman assisted junior midfielder Matias Llontop for the sixth goal of the game, and Llontop returned the favor, assisting Ochman for the seventh. The Rams scored on a penalty kick with three minutes and 30 seconds left, making the score 7-2. The Patriots led the duration of the game and won 7-2.
Alumni night was Oct. 19. against Whitman. It was sentimental to see so many former players return to watch our boys in action. The student section was filled with kids dressed up in their best pajamas. It was an incredible atmosphere, as the top two teams in the county were facing each other in the final game of the regular season. The game was defensive; the Vikings scored a goal late in the first half to give them a 1-0 halftime lead. There were no goals scored in the second half. The boys faced defeat for the first time all season, finishing with an 11-1 record.
The Patriots regular season success clinched them a first round bye in the state playoffs.
The second round playoff matchup was against the Richard Montgomery Rockets on Oct.26. Wroblewski drew a penalty kick in the second minute and put the squad up 1-0. Senior midfielder Griffin Ford scored off a header 10 minutes later to go up 2-0. Ford assisted Wroblewski for a 3-0 halftime lead. Goals from Meyer and Ram gave the Patriots a 5-0 lead, and the Patriots went on to advance to the regional finals.
The Patriots faced the three-seed Northwest Jaguars on Oct. 29. Both teams were determined, and knew the magnitude of this matchup. The game was defensive; the score was 0-0 at halftime. The Patriots dominated time of possession. With three minutes left, Ram scored off of a set piece to go up 1-0. One minute later, Wroblewski had a magnificent shot from outside the box that found its way to the top right quarter of the net. The defense dug in and resisted any remaining offensive threats. The team got a plaque for the win; it was a momentous game.
The state quarterfinal game vs Dulaney on Nov. 2 and any other potential games after that were too late to be included in this issue.
