The Raiders’ seven-game win streak began with a loss against the Westfield Blue Devils and ended with one too. 

The Raiders boys varsity soccer team fell to rival Blue Devils in a 1-0 loss Thursday, Oct. 28 in the finals of the Union County Tournament. 

The lone goal of the game came seventeen minutes in by senior midfielder Max Rokhsar. Rokhsar scored a beautiful goal from twenty-five yards out giving the Blue Devils the 1-0 lead they would never relinquish. 

“These games make you stronger,” head coach Alex Passucci said. “They make you better, they make you tougher, and you learn a lot from these games. And I think that moving forward, this game will only help us.” 

Both teams would struggle to generate scoring opportunities for the rest of the game. The Blue Devils had three shots on goal to SPF’s one as possession between both teams was fairly even. 

The Raiders begin the first round of the state tournament on Monday, Nov. 1 where they face twelfth-seeded Ridge at home. 

“We have another opportunity to win a championship,” Passucci said. “That’s the message to the boys — we’ve made tremendous progress. I’m very proud of them, they earned their way here and they deserve it.”