This past Saturday, the Spartans faced off against Roosevelt High School in a heated Senior Day matchup at home. Every minute of the game was filled with intensity, but BVS was eventually able to come up with a 2-1 win to round off this year’s array of HOCO week sports. Although the skies were overcast, it was still a hot September day, which, combined with a soaked field following Friday’s downpours, created very interesting playing conditions as players constantly fought for traction on the grass.
In the first 20 minutes of the game, Roosevelt managed to maintain consistent offensive pressure, largely keeping the ball away from their own half. Still, the Spartans stayed strong on defense and avoided letting up any real chances to their opponents. Eventually, offensive momentum swung the other way with surgical passing in the midfield and several speedy sideline runs by senior Patrick Wall.
The first half reached its climax when junior Brooks Geiger tapped the ball into the net from close range, which was followed by excited cheering; however, the goal was ruled offsides. Both teams entered halftime scoreless, using the break to hydrate and discuss their game plan.
In the second half, Roosevelt began to tire, and the Spartans, consistently maintaining possession, looked poised to capitalize on offensive opportunities. Soon enough, a handball was called against Roosevelt off a corner kick by sophomore Max George. For the penalty kick, junior Kiki Sullivan punched the ball toward the middle-left net, finally putting points on the board in the 61st minute.
Soon after, though, Roosevelt found themselves rapidly pushing the ball downfield during transition. Their striker took a difficult shot from right field, and the ball bounced off the left post into the net, just out of reach of the extended arms of junior Miles Vogenthaler. The score was 1-1.
As the clock ticked down, it looked as though a tie was imminent. But sophomore Darien Hull had other plans. In the 82nd minute, Sullivan launched a free kick into the air from near midfield. Players from both teams looked up at the soaring ball, jockeying for position as it fell. The ball was redirected toward the goal with a header, bounced off the crossbar and landed right at Hull’s feet to slam it toward the right corner for a Spartans goal.
In the game’s final minutes, the Spartans did their best to run down the clock, with defenders frequently booting the ball downfield. Roosevelt’s continued efforts weren’t enough. The final score was 2-1.
Despite a recent four-game losing streak, this Spartan’s win actually marked a third consecutive victory, following wins over Mounds Park Academy (2-0) on Tuesday and Breck (3-0) on Thursday.
Sullivan, a team captain, expressed his appreciation for the mentality and effort of his teammates. “We did really well persevering. I think that’s something our team does very well. Even when we’re down [or] we get scored on early, we fight through it,” he said. “Even though we had that four-game losing streak, we still fought through, and we beat the team that was ranked number one in our class. I’m very proud of the boys for their work.”
After the game, Varsity and JV seniors (who also had a game) were celebrated with short tributes from the announcer, bobblehead cutouts, flowers, and some bundt cake sweet treats.
This was an important moment. Wall, also a team captain, reminisced on his high school career: This brings me back to all the other Senior Days from past years. You know, thinking about all the seniors that we’ve had, and how they led our team to so much success, it just makes me reflect on how I can emulate them, and how I can build off the culture that they’ve created,” he said. “And it puts things in perspective—like this is it. This is my last year. [It] could possibly be my last competitive soccer team, and that’s a big weight, and that just adds to how important it is to me.”
Following Saturday’s victory, the Spartans will return on Thursday, Sep. 25, at 4:30 p.m. to play Minnehaha Academy at home.
