Through tremendous effort and great teamwork, the TABC Storm Varsity soccer team began its season with a resounding victory against the SAR Sting at their home court on March 6, 2019.
The game started with a goal 3 minutes into the game. Junior Uri Gulich took a shot off the wall and drove the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal. SAR quickly responded with a goal from center. This game was not going to pass by without a fight.
When SAR fouled Senior Azriel Muller 4 minutes into the 1st quarter, Senior Dylan Breen took advantage of his free kick. He saw a gap between the defenders and shot the ball into the top right corner.
When asked if he felt surprised that his staggering free kick went in, Breen said, “We practiced this drill during practice and when I found the hesitation in the wall I knew it was going in.”
The first four starters then left the field, and the next four players made sensational use of their high soccer IQs.
Only a couple minutes after taking the field, Junior Menachem Kravetz passed the ball to himself off the wall and then shot the ball to the bottom right corner for a goal.
Now down by two goals, the Sting knew they needed a quick response. With a pass from deep on their side, a SAR offensive player shot the ball and scored. The quarter finished with the Storm leading 3 - 2.
Both shifts played better in the second quarter. The game’s second half saw goals from Senior Yechiel Kieser, off the wall in the first 15 seconds to the top left corner, Junior Natan Rifkind, with a shot low to the bottom right corner from nearly half court, Senior Yonadav Rimberg, with a shot to the bottom right corner, and Senior Azriel Muller, with a put-back off an SAR defender. After this quarter, the score stood 8-4.
Spectator Adrian Gulich explained what differentiated the second quarter from the first: “First quarter was a ‘learning’ quarter: getting used to their circular court and the angles of where the ball bounced off of. During the second quarter, we played with a faster pace and with more confidence. With that confidence we shot more and scored more goals.”
Coach Sam Shteingart expressed similar sentiments about the match: “In the first quarter we were disorganized and in the second quarter we played smart, using the walls to create more chances to score.”
During the third quarter, the Storm continued its excellent performance, using keen passes, aggressive press and beautiful shots. The quarter finished with a score of 11 - 4, due to goals contributed by Kieser (with a pass from the goalie), Rimberg (with a steal from one the Sting’s offense men and a shot to the bottom right corner), and Senior Daniel Deshino (with a shot to the top right corner).
3 minutes into the fourth quarter, SAR finally forfeited because the players didn’t want to risk getting injured. The Storm emerged victorious.
The team was spurred on by a passionate bench led by Senior Joe Baron and Junior Yaron Gerzberg.
“For those who don’t get minutes on the court, I make them feel part of the team by cheering and getting everyone involved,” Baron said.
After the game, Captains Breen and Rimberg commented on their success: “Overall, we played well showing a strong start in a tough court. This game was more of a ‘sense of release’ to get out our nerves and to play with confidence for the rest of the season.”
Both captains also gave a shout out to their phenomenal goalie, Senior Avraham Kahan. Players even referred to him as a “brick wall”. When asked what he did to prepare for the game, Kahan said, “Nothing, really. [I] just had sugar a couple minutes before the game. It gives me the right amount of energy to dive and block shots.”
There were several other notable individual performances, including those by Senior Yechiel Keiser and Junior Gabi Antosofsky.
Keiser scored a hat-trick in his first game since 10th grade. He commented on his momentous return: "It felt good to get back on the court. I was in the right place at the right time and I was always ready to kick the ball hard.”
For his own part, Antosofsky participated in his first game of TABC soccer and showed tremendous hustle by shooting a lot and helping out the team on defense.
Junior Natan Leiman summed up the thoughts of many about the team’s success: “We played with electrifying offense and if we play the same way we played tonight throughout the entire season, no one will be able to stop us.”
With this first win under their belt, the Storm is ready to take the league by storm!