An unprecedented three consecutive losses marked the start of boys varsity soccer’s 2022 season. Their first win came in the fourth game of the season as they played at Berwick Academy on a bright fall afternoon. They won a convincing game with an impressive display by Toby Clackson ’24, who scored two goals to secure the 2–0 win. They went onto win their second consecutive game against Marianapolis Prep at home at Moriarty Athletic Campus.
With the season looking to be back on track, the team hit the road twice in one week but picked up a narrow 2–1 defeat to Dexter Southfield and a huge 4–0 defeat to Wheeler School. However, in that moment, Head Coach Adam Simon said, “I have got a very talented group, and I do not doubt their abilities, it will click, and we would love to win the [Eastern Independent League] EIL tournament. It will be a solid season.”
It was clear Simon was far from giving up, and that belief was transmitted into the team as they put on a run of seven games undefeated, winning six of those seven. Of the six wins, some came against teams they had picked up loses earlier in the season, while the draw was against league leaders Pingree School in the Chandler Bowl. The seven game run changed the entire face of the season, as the record turned into eight wins, five loses, and one draw. This put Concord Academy in prime position for the EIL tournament and back in the bid for the seventh consecutive New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) playoffs.
At the end of their season, the team managed to beat Landmark School in the penultimate league game, and draw Berwick Academy in the final game of the season in front of the home crowd to give the seniors a proper send-off. CA managed to finish second in the league and was the second seed for the EIL tournament. The team took on Beaver Country Day School for the semifinals of the EIL tournament at home in Moriarty Athletic Campus. The game was one for the history books. Beaver took an early lead in the first half, but Edoardo Takacs ’22 scored the equalizer for CA in the fifty-seventh minute of the game. The game went into extra time, but even the additional time was not enough to separate the teams. After 105 minutes of back and forth action, the teams went to penalties, where CA emerged victorious after winning 3–2 on penalty kicks. CA goalkeeper Axel Bolstrom ’24 played a huge role in the victory (by making two saves), as did Edoardo Takacs ’22, who stepped up to score the game winning penalty. This act secured CA a bid at the inaugural EIL tournament, and the team hit the road the following day to face Pingree School for the finals of the EIL tournament. The game was extremely close, but the boys lost 1–0.
Despite the loss in the finals to league champions, the lads had secured a spot in NEPSACs Class C as the eighth seed. Though they ultimately lost to first seed Vermont Academy, the lads had already managed to keep it together to play a strong, and beautiful season despite the odd start, which resulted in them finishing second in the league and second in the EIL tournament. Bravo!