In the first game of the season, the boys soccer team beat St. Pius in a stellar performance. Less than 5 minutes into the game, team captain Ian Koepp ‘23 scored the first goal of the night. No other goals were scored in the first half. The players continued to play hard to finish out the half, especially Carson Matula ‘25, who was pulled out for a bloody nose after being hit by the ball. In a few minutes, though, Matula was back on the field.

After a halftime talk from Coach Scott Huppe and Assistant Coaches Dom Bandera and Cayden Williams ‘18, the boys got back on the field, feeling rejuvenated. Pierce Farinelli ‘24, a right back, explained that, “Huppe told us that we needed to keep our energy up and continue to do what we’re doing. We felt really tired after the first 30 minutes, so we need to learn to maintain our composure.”

At this point, the student section also began to really let loose on the cheers, with Quinn Luce ‘23 leading many of them. Signs were raised into the air with phrases like “Get Loud for Lang” and “O-win Snyder” prominently displayed on them. The energized student section partnered with Coach Huppe’s halftime pep talk energized the team, leading to three goals scored in the second half by Matula, Connor Lucido ‘24, and Owen Snyder ‘24. The game ended in a clean, 4-0 sweep, a great way to start out the season!

Farinelli speaks for the team when he says, “It was fun seeing everyone there. I could definitely get used to the feeling of winning.”