BVS Snags Victory Against Holderness
Boys’ varsity soccer played against the Holderness School, extending their winning season record to 9-4-2 with a 2-0 victory last Saturday.
Big Red soccer players shivered as winds blew against their rain-sodden jerseys. The field was engulfed in water and the players were soaked from head to toe. Senior Tyler Swanbeck lines up a free kick from the top of the penalty box. He strikes the ball with power, and it soars into the net. Exeter leads, 1-0.
The first goal of the match was scored off of a free kick by Swanbeck. Garland said, “It was a really nice shot from around the top of the box. Tyler’s goal got things started for us offensively, and we were able to open it up after that.”
The weather during the game was not ideal. Exeter played in the middle of a rainstorm with high winds. This affected both teams’ ability to pass the ball. Upper Carson Garland said, “I was cold, and it was really windy, which was hard to play in. Also it was raining very heavily, so there was about an inch of water on top of the turf. Every time the ball got kicked, it would completely stop moving.”
However, the team was able to adapt to the conditions. Lower JD Jean-Jacques remembered, “The rain made the field hard to play in, especially in the middle. But as the game went on, we started playing more towards the sides of the field where it was less wet so we could move and pass the ball more easily.”
As the game went on, the boys picked up the pace and did not allow any room for Holderness to gain the upper hand. “We pretty much dominated the whole game,” Garland mentioned. “We kept the ball on Holderness’s side of the field for about 75 percent of the game.”
Rolling with their momentum, upper Jake Gehron got the team their second goal of the game. “Jake scored off of a penalty kick, which cemented our lead for the rest of the game,” Jean-Jacques said.
This momentum can be attributed to the team’s success so far earlier this season. Garland explained that the team has been working hard to keep the streak alive, promoting motivation going into each game. “We haven’t lost in thirteen games which feels pretty good. Right now I think we are ranked third in our league, and the top eight teams go to the playoffs,” he said.
The boys’ next game is the Exeter/Andover game, and the team looks forward to bringing in another dub for the second year in a row. “Our upcoming game against Andover should be good. We have a really strong team this year. Last year, we won 1-0, so hopefully we can win again, especially with so many students and alumni watching,” Jean-Jacques said.