On Monday (10/7) the Boys Varsity Soccer team beat Wilmington, in a 4-0, ending their 3-game losing streak. The squad’s record sits at 6-6 at time of publication.
The Rockets season came to a blazing start, with their record quickly rising to 5-1. Unfortunately for them, their momentum was slowed after they lost 3 consecutive games; however, the team didn’t let this get to their heads. Before the game, when asked if he was worried, Owen Forrest (‘25) who plays goalie for the team said, “No, not at all… they basically have no chance if we play our game.”
As eager fans showed up to the game, many of them were surprised to see Jack Chapin (‘25) warming up in net. Chapin is a backup goalie and hasn’t started in any game before this. He is relatively new to the sport as well, only starting to play soccer in his junior year. This may have been Chapin’s first varsity start, but he definitely wasn’t unprepared, as he led the team to a win and recorded his first shutout.
As soon as the game started it was very apparent that Reading did not intend to lose. The ball quickly made its way to the opposing net, where it stayed for most of the first half. After a bit of back and forth from both teams and a few missed shots, Reading finally saw their chance to take the lead when they set up for a corner kick. The first kick didn’t find its mark but luckily it was hit out of bounds by the opposing team, so Reading set up for another corner on the opposite side. The second kick followed a similar path and was again hit out by the opponents. Jacob Frank (‘26) lined up to take the third corner kick and the rest of the team got into position. The ball came sailing in front of the net where Nick Mirogiannis (‘25) was able to head the ball into the back of the net, letting Reading take a 1-0 early lead.
After this, the disheartened Wilmington team barely put up a fight for the rest of the game, only putting a few shots on net, which were easily shut down by Chapin. Later in the half, the ball once again found its way into the net when Chase Daly (‘28) headed the ball into the net, with an assist from Dominik Loor (‘27), putting Reading up 2-0. The score didn’t stay that way for long. On another corner kick, Daly sent the ball right to Rocco Cerasuolo (‘28) who headed the ball into the net, achieving his first varsity goal and making the score 3-0 right before half time.
The rain had begun to fall when the game went into halftime, with Reading leading the game having scored 3 unanswered goals. The second half of the game was largely uneventful, as Reading played more defensively not wanting to lose their shutout. The ball made its way up and down the field multiple times, Reading had a few missed shots, and Chapin made a few crucial saves. Early on, Reading once again had the opportunity to score off a corner kick, and that they did. Mirogiannis headed the ball for an easy goal, off the corner kick from Kapil Shastri (‘25), making the score 4-0.
The score didn’t change for the rest of the game and Reading managed to take the win, not only ending their 3 game loss streak but also beating their previous record, achieving 6 wins over last year’s 5.
Not everything went as planned for The Rockets though. Late in the first half, Henry Kyle (‘25) sprained his ankle after jumping up for the ball. Kyle was carted off the field and is going to be unable to play for the rest of the season. Many people on the team were disheartened by this unfortunate injury and are hoping for a speedy recovery for Kyle.
After the game, Raghav Tiwari (‘25), a player on the team, said, “ We were a better team overall, and I would say it was a well deserved victory.”
