Boys’ Varsity Soccer saw its historic run end yesterday in the NEPSAC Class D quarterfinals, where third-seeded Brimmer fell 1–0 to six-seeded MacDuffie School at the UMass Mount Ida field. The loss came in an eight-team Class D bracket after the Gators earned the No. 3 seed with a deep MBIL playoff run.

To earn a NEPSAC birth, the Gators capped a historic MBIL regular season with an electrifying run to the league championship, marking the program’s first trip to the title match since 2019. They ultimately fell 4–2 to Gann Academy in Waltham.

Going into the MBIL final, the Gators had closed out their regular season with a blowout 6–0 victory against the Cambridge School of Weston. The team also won its first playoff game against Newman in a 2–0 victory, after previously losing to them 3–1.

“It’s a playoff game, but we have done a lot of work in practice with positions and ways we can adapt to adversity on the field,” Flint said. “We can bring people from the midfield, or if we need goals, we have a setup where we send the wingers up.”

Despite losing to Gann, the boys secured the third seed for the NEPSAC playoffs through pure hard work and dedication, surpassing last year where the team didn’t qualify for the tournament.

Captain and goalie Quinn Teschke ’26 emphasized how far the Gators have come.

“It felt really good,” Teschke said. “It felt like we improved a lot from last year, and we really had to work together. We had to play really, really hard to make it to this point.”

Against Gann, the team played a strategic 3–5–2 formation with three defenders, five midfielders, and two attackers, which allowed them to control the midfield and score early.

This setup helped generate two goals from Rimon Zhao ’27 and Adrian Houndegla ’26. Although the team was still trailing, players managed to stay positive throughout the match.

“To be honest, I didn’t really feel anything because we were still losing,” Houndegla said. “But it did light a little spark because at that point after the goal we were only down by one [for most of the second half].”

Following the NEPSAC tournament, players said they tried to work hard together, stay positive, and rely on discipline during what they described as a longer-than-usual season. Some noted that, even as fatigue set in, they still aimed to keep morale high and compete as hard as possible.

Team manager Max Birnbaum ’26 admired both the talent and chemistry in the squad.

“The guys had an impressive season,” Birnbaum said. “There’s a bunch of young talent, and I think the chemistry was really strong this year. I think we were a little bit tired—it’s been a long season, and everyone’s a little beaten up—but I think the guys gave it their all.”

Players also contrasted this year’s run with last season, when injuries and limitations kept the team from reaching its full potential.

“Last year, we suffered from a lot of injuries where I think if everyone was healthy, I would have been interested to see how we could have done,” Cole Thompson ’26 said.

Thompson, who has been on the team throughout his Upper School years, said this season stood out.

“This year, this has been the best we’ve been in my four years, at least in standings,” Thompson said. “So I’m really grateful to be able to be a leader on the team and to have been a part of the team this year.”

Compared to last year, the roster was noticeably younger, with multiple freshmen stepping into key roles and bringing a new wave of skill and energy to the program. Thompson highlighted the promise of that group.

“Seeing freshmen like Ben, Jacob, and Charlie develop and mature, you can tell the team is only going up from here,” Thompson said. “I think the next couple of years will be really promising.”

One of those freshmen, Charlie Young ’29, reflected on what it was like to compete alongside older, more experienced players.

“Along with the other freshmen, I think we did a great job of handling ourselves, not getting too overwhelmed, and playing our game,” Young said.

The team graduates 11 seniors this season, but remains strong after fielding a starting squad that consisted mostly of players that will return next fall.