Despite a hard-fought battle, the Boys Soccer team lost to Morris Hills, 2-1, on Tuesday, Sept. 19, bringing the Rams’ season record to 1-3.
Coming off of a 3-2 win over Montville on Monday, Sept. 18, Randolph tried to use their momentum to prevail against Hills, their next rival. The last time Randolph had met with Hills was in the county quarter finals, held last Oct. 15, when the Knights topped Randolph, 1-0.
Trying to avenge that loss this past Tuesday, Randolph came ready and prepared for a war, but despite a hard-fought battle, did not see victory on the field.
“We were locked in and ready,” said senior Captain Jack Grech before Tuesday’s game. “We were focused on getting the win streak going by winning this game, as we hoped to catch them on their heels. But mainly we wanted to win this game to avenge last year’s county loss against them.”
At the start of the game, as the whistle blew, both sides battled hard to get an early lead. Randolph started off on top with a great goal by freshman Andrei Nitulescu. He took on a pair of defenders and beautifully placed the ball past the keeper. From that point on, both sides kept asking questions.
In the second half, however, the Knights climbed out of the hole they had dug themselves into. The Randolph defense, consisting of juniors Jayden DeCarvalho, David Martinez and Jack Lachanski, led by senior Captain Connor Rodrigues, and sophomore Gavin Vichengrad in between the sticks, attempted to maintain their one-goal lead.
Despite their best efforts, Hills came knocking and scored two goals off set pieces, one coming from a corner that found the ball hobbling outside the 18 and volleyed past everyone. The second free kick bounced between players of both sides until a Knight finally found the back of the net.
Despite Randolph’s strong preseason record of 3-0, including a win against Union Farmers, ranked number 11 in the state, the Rams are now 1-3, a rough start to the official season. “This loss forces us to come back stronger and show our abilities this upcoming game. It also pushes us to work harder and ensure we start winning,” Rodrigues said after the game.
The Rams are set to turn their season around when they play @ Chatham on Friday, Sept. 22, at 5 p.m.
