This past Saturday, the 2024 Holy Family Soccer Team brought home the State Championship. For the first in school history, the soccer team won a state title. The team stormed through the first four games of the playoffs, scoring their opponents 15-0 and raising their confidence for the title game. They hadn’t let up a goal in the playoffs, and they planned to keep it that way through the championship.
The game was held at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park against Jefferson Academy.
Through the first half, Jefferson Academy controlled most of the game, owning all the chances in the first half. They went into the half 0-0, with Jefferson Academy sucking the life out of the Tigers and having all the momentum.
In the second half, first year Coach Ted Hansen made a few adjustments and came out firing in the second half. The game was still back and forth through the second half, with Holy Family missing out on the few chances they had, and the second half finished 0-0.
It was a long 80 minutes of soccer, and the champion was still not decided. Overtime, two 15-minute halves, golden goal style, which is the next goal wins. Just over two minutes into overtime, Micky Curto played a beautiful ball up to Oliver Hansen, who gathered and went on to push the ball into the 18′ box. He then made a move past his defender to set him up against the keeper. He did not have an angle to score, so he played the ball back to a wide-open Jesus Molina, who had a wide-open shot on goal, which he buried in the back of the net, giving the Tigers a 1-0 victory and making them state champions.
The Tigers were able to do a complete flip of their season from last year after winning only three games. They were able to make the necessary changes, which resulted in a state title. The team’s defense was a huge part of their championship run, being headed by Matthew Naperkowski, Achi Tetenta, Dube Tetenta, Max Davisson, and Joe Sullivan, who locked down the goal. Along with them, Stefano, in the midfield, and Jesus and Oliver in the attacking role on the team. The whole team worked together and played to their own strengths which is why the ended the season on top.
