With an audience of over 180 people crowding the bleachers, accompanied by nearly a dozen faculty lined along the railing outside Estherwood, the boys’ varsity soccer team began their defense of last year’s FAA championship season with an overwhelming 10-0 win against Storm King.

Junior striker Geoff Fox scored the first goal during the first ten minutes of play, assisted by sophomore midfielder Thomas Oladayo. After Oladayo weaved his way through a couple of Storm King defenders he passed the
ball to Fox, whose agile touch was no match for Storm King’s mediocre goalie.

“In soccer it’s rare to score so early in the game so after Geoff scored I was pretty confident we were going to win,” Oladayo said. Oladayo went on to score a goal of his own.

Apart from being the first game of the season, yesterday marked the debut of freshmen midfielder Andy Lomeli, a
Chicago recruit who’s been playing soccer since he was five. At 5’2” and weighing a little over 100 pounds, his appearance doesn’t strike fear but his game is formidable. Some of his teammates have described him as “one of the most skillful players on the team.” He scored one goal and earned two assists.“I was happy with my overall performance and how the team played. I’m excited for the season and how I can contribute to the team’s success,” Lomeli said.

With two goals, senior Johnny Mills was the only member of the squad to score more than one goal. Goals were also scored by sophomores Moritz Stephan and Joost-Olan Sheehan and seniors Tony Rosenberg and Kanaruj Chanthongdee. Sophomore goalie Diego Mendez, alongside junior goalie Trevor Dee, collaborated in a joint effort to completely shut out Storm King’s offense. Senior captain Karl Hirt also tallied one save after slide kicking the ball just before it rolled into the net, keeping the scoreless streak alive.

Before the game senior captain Sherman Goldblum took his team into a huddle and prepared his teammates for the game. He highlighted the importance of coming out strong and executing every play. “I wanted the boys to know how important this game was.  The first game always sets the tone for the rest of the season so it was important to set the right one,” he said.

Overall the crowd reacted with excitement, cheering and applauding at almost every moment.  Based on the fan turnout and enthusiasm, one might have mistaken yesterday’s crowd with that of an FAA basketball championship game.

“It was really interesting to see how many people supported the soccer team.It was definitely the biggest crowd I’ve seen, I’m excited to see what the rest of the season holds,” senior spectator Mady Clow said.

Photos by Nina Hylton