Randolph Boys Soccer secured a hard-fought 2-1 win @ Roxbury on Tuesday, Sept. 24. 

“I felt this game really demonstrated the progress we have made as a team this year,” said junior co-captain RJ Dougherty after the game. “Despite the score of the game, we played much better than our opponent. We played as one unit and moved the ball really well, which is what we have been focused on.”

In the first half, the Rams came out flying, putting relentless pressure on the opposing Roxbury side. The Rams created plenty of chances to score, and the momentum was clearly on their side. 

Toward the end of the half, shots from both Dougherty and sophomore Andrei Nitulescu came close to going in, but the Rams couldn’t find their way onto the scoresheet and went into the half tied at 0-0.  

“Going into the second half, I knew we had to get motivated and stay calm,” newly appointed senior co-captain Bryan Garcia commented. “We had a great first half and after talking it out with the team about what we could do to score, the boys came out with a big mentality knowing we could win this game.”  

The Rams did in fact get motivated, as they started the second half similar to the first, with pressure on the Roxbury defenseand lots of momentum. The Rams were quickly on the attack once again when sophomore Julian Hernandez scored a goal to finally break the deadlock between the two teams.  

Later in the second half, the Rams kept the pressure on, as they earned a freekick right outside of the penalty box. The Rams played the freekick into a dangerous area and found the back of the net, with junior Sebastian Lesmes scoring the goal. 

The Rams were holding a strong 2-0 lead, confidently controlling the match, with just five minutes left. However, Roxbury earned a freekick, and one player broke through, narrowing the score to 2-1. 

The Rams were not flustered by this goal, however, as they stayed composed and calmly executed for the final minutes of the game, winning it 2-1.  

“We made sure that the goal didn’t slow us down, and that we didn’t lose our heads towards the end,” senior co-captain Jayden DeCarvalho said.  

The Rams face Mt. Olive next, today, Thursday, Sept. 26, under the lights @ DaSilva.