Last Saturday, students, teachers, and alumni packed Orr Field to cheer on the Varsity Soccer teams compete against Bradford Christian Academy.
Spirits were high and the Brimmer community was out in full force, helping both teams earn a win.
It was an especially emotional day for the seniors. “We got into the game pretty late, letting in a goal first,” says Varsity Boys’ Captain Alex Dolan ’17. “I was kind of scared but we came back, scoring two great goals. I wouldn’t want to have ended my final homecoming any other way.”
The boys played well, dominating the field after an early slip. Olivier Khorasani ’20 delivered an excellent corner and Dolan timed his jump to perfection, heading the ball into the top corner of the goal. Two minutes later, the Gators took the lead when Paxton Wong ’20 dropped a ball into the right corner for Tyler Best ’18 to control. Best outpaced his man and shot with a strong foot, sending a powerful shot into the far side of the goal.
Goalie Liam Johansson ’17 also reflected on the strong performance. “It was a pretty great feeling to win at my last Brimmer homecoming,” he said. “I was really excited to play and be out in front of all the fans. A lot of people were there, which really improved our play. Everyone did a great job and it was a really good game.”
The girls pulled out 2:1 nail-biter win, with back-and-forth action the whole way. The game remained scoreless until the Gators broke the deadlock when Sophie Lapat ’18 collected a corner kick from Kimberly Santos ’18, beating the keeper with a low shot to the right corner. With 25-minutes to go, Hannah Ahearn ’20 was fouled at the top of the box. She tapped the ball to Caiti Cullen ’19, who hit a low shot past the keeper for a 2:0 lead. Bradford Christian responded quickly with a fluke goal, but the Gator defense held out for the rest of the game.
Echoing Johansson, Hannah Ahearn ’20 commented on how the crowd helped the Gators secure a victory. “We worked really hard throughout the whole game, even though they were playing rough. The crowd was super hyped and it really help boost our spirits throughout the game. It was definitely the best homecoming yet.”
