Randolph Boys Soccer enjoyed a strong opening stretch this fall, defeating Mount Olive and rolling past Sparta before falling to Pingry, bringing the early-season record to 2-1. Here’s a round-up of results from the team’s first three games.
Randolph Beats Mount Olive 2-1 in Season Opener on Thursday, Sept. 4
At the Mount Olive season opener, both the Rams and the Marauders came out fighting their hardest. The first half largely went back and forth, with senior goalie Gavin Vinchengrad making multiple key saves to keep the Rams in it.
“At halftime, we just talked about regrouping and finishing our chances since we dominated the first half,” sophomore Luka Madjor said.
The Rams then came out to the field for the second half ready to finish what they had started.
The Rams broke through with 10 minutes left when junior Felipe Pesa fed junior Andrei Nitulescu a pass and slipped it through the goalie’s legs.
Mount Olive quickly tied the game, but with only minutes remaining, Pesa and Nitulescu connected again—this time on a header—to give the Rams a dramatic 2-1 victory in their season opener.
“It was an amazing feeling to get that goal especially after all the hard work during preseason,” Nitulescu commented.
Last year, the Rams proved themselves to be resilient. “I love that we were able to stay resilient and patient throughout the game to score the first goal,” Pesa commented, “and when we conceded, we kept our heads high and scored another one.”
Randolph Beats Sparta 6-2 on Saturday, Sept. 6
Rams powered past Sparta with a 6-2 win on Saturday, Sept. 6. The first half was a shootout, with Sparta scoring twice and the Rams answering with three, including one from sophomore Jeremy Lamb, and two from Nitulescu.
The Rams shut down Sparta after halftime, piling on three more goals as Nitulescu scored twice, and Madjor added the final strike to seal the dominant victory.
“It was an amazing feeling and something I have looked forward to for a long time, so it felt very rewarding,” Madjor said after scoring his first varsity goal.
Randolph Loses to Pingry on Tuesday, Sept. 9
Randolph fell 1-0 to Pingry on Tuesday, Sept. 9, in a defensive battle that stayed scoreless until the final minutes.
Despite creating chances and holding strong for most of the match, the Rams conceded late, allowing Pingry to slip in the game-winner and hand Randolph its first loss of the season.
“It wasn’t the result we were looking for, but there were definitely a lot of positive moments, and we’re all looking forward to getting after it again against Delbarton,” senior co-captain Jake Rubin said.
The Rams will look to bounce back in their next matchup on Thursday, Sept. 11, when they travel to face Delbarton.
