Over the weekend of September 17th, the boys soccer team attended the annual Principia Tournament, playing two games against Principia High School and Gateway Academy.
After the team left school on Friday, they drove to St. Louis and stayed over the weekend. Originally, the team planned on having a late game on Friday night, but their opponent ducked out at the last minute due to Districts Bracket necessities.
On Saturday, the team played both games, the first against the Principia Panthers, at their home field. The team resoundingly describes this field “as one of the best” due to its professional-like facilities and well-maintained grass.
“It was a 10/10 quality field. The grass was soft enough for me to take a nap on it. It was the best field in the world for the best players in the world,” says forward Connor Lucido ‘24.
The boys won this first game 3-0, before resting up and preparing for the next against Gateway Academy. Again, the Knights dominated, winning 6-3 against Gateway.
In fact, the game was especially important for two JV players, Eli Zeldin ‘25 and Alex Norman ‘25, who got some of their first Varsity playing time.
“In my 45 seconds of playing time, I not only inspired everyone else, but inspired myself,” explains Zeldin.
On top of the victories, the STL trip always fosters close connections between players. This year, the trip was defined by a FIFA tournament, facilitated by Zeldin, who brought his PS5.
“Daniel and I won the FIFA match. It was definitely a lot of fun, and brought me closer with my teammates,” says Lucido.
Because soccer is so heavily team reliant, it is especially important that the players form relationships with each other that transcend the field. The St. Louis Tournament definitely creates that dynamic, and the multiple victories are fun too!
