By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
On a frigid evening, Xaverian Brothers High School's turf was shrouded in cold air as dedicated fans bundled up in layers and enthusiastically cheered, their breath forming visible clouds of condensation. It marked the season's inaugural epic showdown, a once-a-year event when the Medfield boys' soccer team clashed with the Xaverian Hawks. In a demanding match, the Medfield Warriors emerged victorious over the Hawks, securing a non-league win and adding a valuable point to their season record.
Xaverian took the field with palpable enthusiasm and a fervent desire for possession, clearly indicating their readiness to give their all. Nonetheless, Medfield arrived well-prepared to counter any strategies the Hawks might employ, consistently foiling their attempts to capitalize on opportunities. Within the first half of the match, Charlie Curmi delivered the sole goal of the night, establishing a lead that the Warriors would maintain.
Head coach Jason Heim and assistant coach Travis Taliaferro expressed their satisfaction with the team's tenacity and resilience exhibited throughout the evening's contest.
“I think they did great tonight, I mean it’s a division one program. Xaverian is a big, strong, and fast team, I think in the beginning we weathered some of their speed and strength, but I think within the first 10- 15 minutes we realsly found our own and started putting pressure on them. They had to go back into defensive mode with all of the corners and long throws we had, we added a lot of pressure on them,” said Heim.
As the whistle pierced the cold air, it marked the commencement of the second half of the contest. Medfield stepped onto the field with two clear objectives: retaining possession and safeguarding their lead. The self-assuredness and proficiency of each player became increasingly apparent as the minutes passed, with Medfield maintaining their dominance on the field. This ultimately led to a triumphant victory, celebrated with resounding cheers from the enthusiastic crowd.
“We have high expectations for the second time we see the TVL teams, and right now we are trying to make a statement by playing against the small rotation. We are playing the smalls right now, and then we want to finish strong against the bigs. We talked about how this is kind of like a playoff atmosphere tonight, it was chiller, we had some great fans, and it was intense right up until the end. We try to do this every year, we want to let them know what playoffs are going to be like,” said Taliaferro.
The boys will head to Norton High School on Thursday, October 5th, for a TVL competition, with the scene set for a 5:45 PM start time.
