Last night Boys’ Soccer played their second game of the season in a non-conference home game vs Hinsdale Central. Metea won 2-1 after letting up the first goal of the game in the second half.

The first half was scoreless as either team traded set pieces with no success. The shots on goal were rare and even when they happened no mistakes were being made by either goalkeeper. The team was working hard from the beginning. “They were playing well, it was just [about] being a little more patient,” head coach Joshua Robinson said.

Hinsdale Central made some moves early in the second half, a shot went off the crossbar in the 49th minute and they had multiple free kicks that they could not convert. Later in the half in the 54th minute Metea conceded a corner kick where Hinsdale Central played a ball in, and off a deflection, a nice strike scored the first goal of the game to put Hinsdale Central up 1-0.

The Hinsdale Central lead was very short-lived, only three minutes later, Metea made a play in on the left side of the Hinsdale Central penalty area. The ball was played in and senior James Lynch put one across the goalie into the net for the equalizer.

A few more scoring opportunities came for each team including ones right in front of the Metea net. But with 12 minutes to go senior Jaylen Brooks scored a header to the right inside the net for the 2-1 lead which stood as the game-winning goal. The team ended up closing out the last twelve minutes of game time with focused defense and hustle. “You just gotta keep composed and not let those things get to you,” Brooks said.

The come from behind victory was charged by constant intensity from the players on the field and on the bench. The team rallied behind their own momentum and were able to take the win against the team that beat them last year in the early season. The win is a great example of what is to come for the team. “For them, it’s like showing that they have that perseverance and showing that they can overcome those [deficits],” Robinson said.

A non-conference matchup this early in the season establishes a mindset for a team. The Dupage Valley Conference is full of tough challenges for the team down the road. “Getting a win is important in any high school game, our schedule is really tough and [a win] really gives us momentum going into the Pepsico tournament,” Brooks said.

The team plays in a tournament next Monday, Wednesday, and Friday against Elgin, Downers Grove North, and St. Charles East respectively. All games are set to be played at St. Charles East High School.