While all eyes are on the boys Varsity soccer team as they ended their season with a run through the Hockomock Cup, the Junior Varsity team completed their own undefeated campaign with a 2-0 blanking of the very talented Mansfield team. The team has faced numerous challenges throughout the season, and this game was no exception.
JV was coming off a long layoff after a forfeit by Franklin due to COVID concerns. Mix in a last minute injury to Caden Dehbi, and there’s going to be trouble. “Caden has been our anchor in the back all season. We knew someone would have to step up if we were going to have a chance,” said Coach Sunderland. In fact, several players stepped up.
Luke Patrick filled in at center back and organized the defense, while Evan Foltz and Matt Lee both had great games on the back line. Collin Lozano had his best game of the season, controlling the midfield and winning challenges all game long. Sam Schoenfeld and Alex Fini rotated in and provided composure in the midfield. Mohammed Chadli, Johnny Wilcox, and Aidan Byers added speed on the outside while Braeden Blass and Chris Davis sparked the attack. Up top Cooper Sharkansky, Mirray DaSilva, and Josh Ventura applied pressure to a strong Mansfield defense.
The two teams were deadlocked at 0-0 through most of the first half until Khalil Badran tapped home across from Cooper. OA was forced to weather an onslaught from the very motivated Mansfield team to start the second half, but again the leadership on the team stepped up with Noah Bellido and Jackson Macomber providing key minutes. With three minutes left in the game Mirray broke through for the final goal of the season. Sasha Priajinski played aggressively in goal, controlling the box to seal his sixth shutout of the season. Dan Flashenburg, Simon Hall, Otman Chadli all contributed to a remarkable season as the boys finished 9-0-3. While this year was a great year for the Varsity boys soccer team, the future of Junior Varsity looks bright too.
- Louis Stewart