Boy's Soccer Deadlocks with Tabor: Vicious Saturday Game Ends in 0-0 Draw

The boys’ varsity soccer team competed against Tabor Academy in a riveting game this past Saturday that finished in a 0-0 tie but showcased the team’s best playing all season. After an astonishing 6-0 win against Berwick Academy on Wednesday, Oct. 26, the boys were in high spirits for their Tabor game. And though they didn’t end up getting the result they had hoped for, the energy, determination and skill with which they played on Saturday demonstrated how much they have improved as a team over the past two months.

Upper Jack Baker described the game against Tabor as a testament to the team’s strong work ethic. “Everyone on the field was ready to go from the first whistle, and we maintained that energy throughout the game,” he explained. Senior and captain Quintin DiStefano agreed, and praised the team for “playing aggressively and working hard for the full 90 minutes.” Likewise, lower Jonah Johnson observed that “everyone on the team was working as hard as they had all season.” For the seniors, the game against Tabor was their last home game ever, and they were “giving their 100 percent to leave it all on the field,” according to DiStefano. Despite the game resulting in a draw, upper Dolapo Adedokun felt that it had shown how much the team has developed, saying “we played our best soccer of the season.”

“We are happy with the way we played, now we have to move on and get ready for the next game.”

The boys proved particularly successful at moving the ball in the attacking third while remaining calm and relaxed. In addition, their defense was solid and they gave up almost no corners throughout the entire game. According to senior Collin Shapiro, the team was “very effective at pressuring the ball and forcing turnovers as well as our being creative on the ball.” He continued, “I thought we did a good job of moving off the ball.”

This aggressive pressure on the ball allowed the team to keep possession for the majority of the game and create scoring opportunities as they moved up the field, including some impressive, low-driven crosses across the box which were “really dangerous for Tabor,” according to Baker. “We created a lot of great chances,” he continued. Exeter also generated several corner kicks that were difficult for Tabor to handle.

However, despite creating around 10 chances to score in all, the team was unable to put the ball away due to a lack of finishing and a series of remarkable saves from Tabor’s goalie. “Tabor had one of the best goalkeepers we have seen all season,” Baker said. The goalie’s ability in the air prevented many scoring chances on Exeter’s crosses, while his deep kick challenged them in the back. “I think that we created good opportunities to score, but Tabor’s goalie was nasty and he made a lot of great saves,” Johnson further explained. Similarly, Adedokun noted that, “despite all of our good work, we struggled to score because Tabor has an insane goalkeeper.”

Going forward, the team hopes to work on finishing these scoring opportunities and getting the ball in the back of the net, according to Johnson. Baker pointed out that the team has “really been clicking” in the past few games, and success will follow if they maintain their positive energy. Shapiro echoed this and added, “I like the way we are playing right now and the goals will come.” DiStefano also commended the team’s hard work. “We are happy with the way we played, now we have to move on and get ready for the next game,” he said.

Exeter is scheduled to play against Holderness School this Saturday and against Kimball Union Academy next Wednesday.