On Wednesday, September 25, the AIC men’s soccer team was about to face one of their toughest opponents of the season. On that day at Ronald J. Abdow Field, the Yellow Jackets hosted the number two-ranked Division II team in the country for men’s soccer, Franklin Pierce University, who possess an impressive statistic: they have not lost a single game since the end of the 2021 season. They also won the last two national championships. It is worth mentioning that this was the season’s first official Conference game, so both teams were looking for a good start to gain confidence and momentum.
The Yellow Jackets stepped on the field as underdogs, but no one doubted their ability to walk off that field with the three points. Everyone was in their seats, the referee blew the whistle, and it was game on. It was an even game in the first minutes, with many strong challenges and duels. You could see right from the start that both teams had a lot of quality, and it would come down to the details and who wanted it more. Both teams were trying to create opportunities for a goal; in the thirtieth minute, the Ravens broke through to take the lead.
AIC defender Anton Granholm, a sophomore student from Stockholm, Sweden, who greatly impacted that game, stated that these are the games in which everyone has to show character and desire to win. He also mentioned that after the first goal, everyone remained calm and kept their composure to keep going, which played a big part in the outcome of the game.
Granholm said, “Everyone was waiting for this match and we knew that it would come down to who wanted it more. Thankfully, even though we conceded a goal in the first half, it did not affect us and we managed to stay in the game and fight until the final whistle”
After that goal from the Ravens, coach Jake Durham’s players kept their cool and created a few chances, but they couldn’t find the goal in that first half. The second half was on, and the AIC men stepped on the field confident and knew that they could turn the game around if they gave everything on the field. The Yellow Jackets put a lot of pressure on the Ravens, creating many good opportunities but struggling to find the goal to tie the game. Then, in the seventy-third minute, AIC played amazing football and with a beautiful combination, Thomas Lafayette came face to face with the Ravens goalkeeper and he couldn’t miss from there! If you saw the celebrations of that goal, you would understand how much it meant to everyone. The passion for the sport is truly something amazing.
The scorer of that game for the Yellow Jackets, Thomas Lafayette, a junior from Somers, Connecticut, scored his first goal of the season in a very important game and was happy to help the team. He said that it was a very good game from both sides, but this game is in the past now and he is trying to keep his focus on the next goal in the next game. It was a “tough game today against a very good opponent,” Lafayette said. “I am happy to score my first goal and help the team, but now we should leave this game behind and focus on the upcoming game.”
After that goal, both teams put pressure on the opponent’s defenses. The Ravens had a good chance to get a second goal, but Lucas Morales Fernandes, the goalkeeper for AIC, was having a great day and he saved the Yellow Jackets from disaster.
AIC had a few good opportunities to score the winning goal, but luck was not on their side and the game ended with the score of 1-1. A good team needs a good goalkeeper, and AIC’s Lucas Morales Fernandes, a graduate student from Amherst, Massachusetts, did not feel like giving the Ravens an easy day. He had an amazing game with great saves and was satisfied with his performance. But he wanted something more. “Great effort from the team today,” Fernades said. “I am happy with my performance, but I know that today we deserved the win. Thank you to everyone who showed their support today, and we are looking forward to the next games.”
