The boys varsity soccer team headed to Victory Field on Monday, September 23rd for an away match against a divisional opponent, the Metropolitan Campus Knights. After yet another overtime was needed to decide the result of a match, the Hawks and Knights ended the game in a 3-3 tie.
The Hawks struck first when Junior Jozef Nikaj scored the first goal of the game, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead. On holding the lead, Jozef said “we just need to maintain our leads and lay as if the game is still 0-0 at all times.”
The Knights would battle back by tying the game before the end of the first half, leaving the teams tied at 1 going into halftime.
In the second half, each team scored twice, leaving the score tied at 3 at the end of regulation. The Hawks and Knights would wind up playing both ten minute periods that make up the overtime period. However, neither team would score, ending the game in a 3-3 draw.
The goalies proved to be the difference in this game. The Hawks’ goalies, Syed Rahman tallied another ten saves, and now has 27 now on the season. Syed said “As the starting goalie I feel like all of the pressure rests on my shoulder since I’m the last man.It’s one of the hardest positions to play and you feel like your team is depending on you every second of the game.”
The Knights’ goalie also performed well with five saves, as Coach Curiale noted “The other team’s goalie just made some very good saves which kept the score 3-3.”
Jozef netted a hat-trick, scoring all three goals for the Hawks. Jozef now is the team leader in goals, with three on the season. On the team’s performance, Jozef said “We played great but we definitely could have performed better.”
Syed also believes the “team is definitely on the right track.”
Coach Matthew Curiale is also very optimistic about this year’s team. On the team’s play during the game, Coach Curiale said “I was proud of the boys because they hustled the entire game and appeared to be the better conditioned team.”
Each team received one point in the standings, putting Metropolitan Campus in second place with eight points, and the Hawks in third place with five points, with both teams trailing the division leading High School for Arts & Business Bulls, who currently have nine points and are undefeated. The Hawks will take on the Bulls Wednesday, September 25th at home.
