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Get a “kick” out of Keystone Oaks boys’ soccer
Despite the cheesy pun, KO soccer is really a team to watch this upcoming fall.
Following a 4-2 win over Carrick High School, KO faced Bishop Canevin High School on Tuesday, September 1st. KO started off the night unlucky, as a bad deflection yielded a 1-0 lead to Canevin. After that particular play, KO became very conservative, leaving only one man up field. By the time Canevin gained a 2-0 lead, head coach Sotiri Tserekis encouraged the players from the sideline, yelling “Attack the ball!”
Right away, KO answered with senior Nick Anderjack leading the way. Following a midfield interception, Anderjack dribbled past four defenders and attempted a shot that was nicely batted away by Canevin’s goalie. Alertly, senior captain Lucas Fievet came up with the rebound and scored KO’s first goal of the night.
After halftime, KO was wide awake and ready for action. Within five minutes of the second half, junior Nabin Kadariya found open field for a breakaway and scored the equalizer. The game remained tied for the rest of the second half and all of overtime. Senior goalkeeper Dylan Procopio made three spectacular saves, while senior defender Sal Cimino and junior defenders Devin Brannon and Logan Hilty worked together to keep the ball out of KO’s zone. “It’s always good to play with people you’re really close to…” Brannon said, “...[because] you know how to play with them.”.
Unfortunately, KO could not muster another goal and the match ended at 2 a piece.
While there were many upperclass highlights, the freshmen on the team really put up big support in the team’s success.
“...they are an important part of our team,”, senior captain Lucas Fievet said. “If someone comes out, they’re there and they can step up.”
Freshmen Gio Valforte and Cam Willson each played in both the second half and overtime in Tuesday night’s matchup.
“Honestly, I don’t do too much as a freshman…” Willson said, “...for Varsity, I come in whenever somebody gets hurt or is tired.”
Reliability and good team chemistry are two qualities that a successful team needs. Along with the underclass, junior Logan Hilty, who plays both junior varsity and varsity, understands his role on the team.
“JV and varsity gives me experience and makes me better as a player. [On] JV, I can [also] learn the midfield [position] and be more of a leader.”