Courtesy/James M.
The boys from Hondros opened their three-game week on Monday, September 28, at home against the Franklin Heights Falcons. The teams went into halftime tied 1-1, but the Falcons pulled ahead 3-1 in the second. Instead of folding, the Vikings scored two late goals to earn a 3-3 draw. “The biggest moment of the game that stuck out to me was our determination and teamwork to come back from being down 1-3,” said senior captain Brandon H. Rather than single out one player, he credited the whole group: “Overall, our teamwork was the difference in the game, and everyone played together as a team.”
On Wednesday, September 30, the Vikings traveled to face the Grandview Heights Bobcats. Senior Zoheb H. found the net just before halftime, sending the teams into the break level at 1-1. CA kept pushing in the second half, but the Bobcats scored once more to win 2-1. Brandon highlighted the efforts of Ryan C.’29 and William W.’27, praising Ryan for his “relentless work rate” and William for his leadership. “Both of them played amazing games to help us fight until the end,” he said.
The Vikings closed the week on Saturday, October 3, with a dominant 6-1 league win over the Bishop Ready Silver Knights. After leading 1-0 at halftime, CA erupted for five goals in the second half, with six different players scoring: Clement W.’27, Alex S.’27, Sam O.’27, Surya V.’28, Tej A.’29, and Timothy F.’27. Brandon pointed to midfielder Tej, who “controlled the game on both offense and defense” and capped his performance with a second-half goal, along with senior captain defender Alex W., who anchored the back line. “After playing 3 games in one week, the guys are tired, but I’m very happy with how the team played and fought,” Brandon said.
The week leaves the Vikings at 4-6-3 overall and 2-4-1 in the CBL. “This week had its ups and downs,” said Brandon, “But overall there were important lessons and growth opportunities for us as a team,” adding that those lessons will help the team heading into the postseason.
This week, CA travels to face the Whitehall Rams in a key league game on Wednesday, October 7, before returning home to take on the Horizon Science Rams on Senior Night, Thursday, October 8.
