- Benjamin Blauner
After years of disappointment, Fieldston Boys Varsity Soccer has finally become the team to beat. Sitting safely atop the Ivy League table, the team has 12 wins - including a commanding 3-0 victory over 2-time defending Ivy League and state champions Trinity - 2 ties and just 1 loss through 15 games.
BVS’ success seems even more remarkable when compared to the team’s form in recent years. Last season, the team ended its campaign without a playoff spot and only 4 wins. The year before that, an even more embarrassing figure of 2 wins - only one of which came in the Ivy League.
Starting goalkeeper Jack Noveck Holmes (V) put the Eagles’ turnaround into perspective.
“Every player on our starting lineup, besides one, was on BVS last year, so we’re far more experienced,”
he said.
“It’s allowed a lot of the younger guys who were new to the varsity level last year to really step up to the challenge and know what to expect in terms of competition and difficulty of play each game.”
But experience isn’t the only thing that has helped the Eagles add more wins to their name. The team’s strong off-the-field bond, as Noveck Holmes explained, has translated to on-the-field success.
“Our team chemistry is the best that I’ve seen in the past three years that I’ve played soccer at Fieldston,”
he mentioned.
“Connecting off of the pitch has allowed us to count on each other once we step foot on it.”
Through BVS’ first 14 games, their loss column was unblemished. It wasn’t until this past Saturday that they experienced their first taste of defeat, in a hard fought, tough match setting at Riverdale’s homecoming. The Eagles had previously beaten the Falcons 4-0 at Fieldston’s homecoming in late September. Perhaps what made the defeat so bitter was the fact that had the Eagles won, they would have clinched the Ivy League championship - something never accomplished by a Fieldston soccer team in the school’s history - and their arch-rival’s homecoming was an ideal setting to do so. With two more chances to clinch the league championship against Hackley on Monday and Poly Prep on Wednesday, BVS is focused on never having that feeling of failure again.
While players were disheartened to see their undefeated season slip away, Head Coach Gene Sepe didn’t take the loss too hard.
“Everybody loses at some point,”
he said plainly.
“I think it’s good that we finally lost. It’s good that we got that out of our system.”
With a championship title under their belt at the completion of the regular season, the Eagles would be able to host two NYSAIS playoff games at the lower field. Having conceded only 5 goals conceded at their home field all season, this could be a significant boost to the Eagles and their state championship hopes - significant enough for BVS to perhaps make some more history.
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