On Saturday, Sept. 11, the boys’ varsity soccer team kicked their season off against rival Hackley, and won in a dominant 4-1 victory. The team is looking to repeat their impressive run to the FAA Championship and NEPSAC Tournament. Last year’s team, led by Captains Ahmad Sosa Raji and Geoff Fox, stormed to a 17-3-1 record, winning the FAA Championship and going all the way to the NEPSAC final before falling short to Hebron Academy, in a tough 0-1 defeat.

The expectations set by last year’s team are very high, and this year’s team is aiming to show that the Master’s soccer program is no one hit wonder. Team Co-Captain Joost-Olan Sheehan said, “Expectations are set really high considering our successful year last year, but I doubt that we will play any worse just because we lost a few star players and seniors. We have very talented and hardworking players on the team now that have really stepped up, and I think we can be just as successful.”

The boys’ team started off against Hackley, and won in a dominant 4-1 victory in which Daniel Rubin, starting striker for the team, sent a shot past Hackley’s keeper a mere minute and sixteen seconds after play had begun.  Assistant Coach Brendan Barrios said, “We looked really good. We were tinkering with formations and players in certain roles, but I think we’ve settled on some of those roles. We were doing a really good job pushing the ball wide and we were clinical in front of goal. We put Hackley on the back foot early and capitalized from there.”

The varsity team has continued its success with five more wins, scoring 22 goals and allowing only 9. However, there is still a lot more work to be done in order to triumph. Team Co-Captain Thomas Oladayo said, “ I hope that we can get the same sense of community as last year, the same sense of working for each other, people stepping up the plate and stepping up to fill the voids in the team. I really hope we can get that done and get that done fast.” The team is off to an exceptional start and are hoping to continue after a 7-1-0 record. The Masters community is looking forward to another successful season, and students and faculty alike are all hoping to see the team continue its successful run into November.