Opening days of school are filled with icebreakers and welcome back activities–not tests. For the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders boys soccer team, their first test came on Day 3.
With a top 20 faceoff lined up as the third game of the season, the Raiders knew their first real assessment would come on Monday, Sept. 9 on Shimme Wexler Field, when the Montclair Mounties traveled to Scotch Plains. The SPF Raiders prevailed over the Mounties 3-2 in a tight overtime battle to improve their record to 3-0.
After a late goal by Montclair’s Julian Cauvin on a penalty shot, the Raiders went into overtime motivated to not let the game slip from their hands. 1:57 into overtime, freshman Taso Pavlou was found at the top of the 18-yard box, where after fighting away from a defender, had a clear shot on goal.
With the opposing goalkeeper coming straight at him, the freshman buried the ball in the back of the net. As the ball struck the back of the net, Pavlou’s shirt came flying off, and the stands erupted in celebration. All in all, Pavlou’s goal, his third of the season, was a result of the Raiders fighting until the end and not hanging their heads on their mistakes.
After junior forward Jayvon Young missed the what-would-have-been game winning penalty kick with less than five minutes in the game, he was quickly consoled by teammates and motivated to keep playing. Head Coach Alex Passucci credits the character of his team that allowed them to keep fighting on the pitch throughout the game.
“It’s the character that we have, and the mentality and the leadership,” Passuci told The Fanscotian. “I think the three leaders on our team, Devin [Pearce], Jack [Sponheimer] and Luca [Passucci], do a tremendous job of preparing the team, creating that positive culture and the strong mentality.”
While all three captains provided their wisdom and leadership on the field, their play also made a huge impact in the matchup. Seniors Devin Pearce and Jack Sponheimer, along with sophomore Massimo Passucci and junior Bradley Pearce, were steadily controlling the back line for all 82 minutes of the game. Accompanying this strong four, sophomore Colin Kochanowicz was able to work with the defense on clearing the ball and giving junior goalkeeper Shawn Guzman a relatively easy day.
With Montclair’s only real shots coming on penalty kicks, that were both scored for goals, the SPF midfield and defense were able to grab hold of Montclair’s attackers and stop them from further attacking. Senior midfielders Sam Lindell and Luca Passucci were both able to tear balls away from opposing players while also looking upwards on the field on the attacking side.
Per usual, junior Jayvon Young pounced on any scoring opportunity he was given. While he put two in the back of the net, his fourth and fifth of the season, Young had to fight against the tall and lengthy Montclair center back Nnamdi Emehelu. After halftime adjustments, Young was able to properly attack, and set the Raiders equal with their opponents.
“I had to look out more wide, because [Emehelu] was tall, so we couldn’t go above him,” Young said. “At halftime, Coach [Passucci] made changes, pushed me out wide and let me go at him.”
The resilience of this Raider squad is something that can separate them from other competitors come the Union County and State tournament. A “never give up” attitude is something that is not born overnight but slowly reinforced by coaches and team captains. Currently ranked 10 in the state, Montclair provided the Raiders with an opportunity to see how they matched up with some of the state’s best teams.
“We went into this game like [Montclair] was the same team that we were. We just wanted to win and we went in there and won,” Young said.
The Raiders will now travel to Rahway this upcoming Thursday, Sept. 12, to face the Indians in their first Watchung division matchup of the season, where they look to stay undefeated.
“Another difficult opponent up next, and we’re just going to take a deep breath. Maybe enjoy [this win] for a few hours, and then get back and prepare ourselves for another difficult challenge on Thursday,” Head Coach Passucci said.
