The Boys Varsity Soccer team faced off against the Warren Township Blue Devils on Thursday night, September 28. Despite multiple shots on target, the Patriots suffered a loss 0-1, bringing their record this year to 6-3-5.

The Patriots possessed the ball heavily in the beginning of the game. Player nine made an especially strong strike, however, a save from the Blue Devils’ goalie stopped the team from securing the point. By halftime, the score maintained a solid 0-0, forcing the Patriots to attempt an even stronger offensive.

“In the first half, we were trying to play smarter, but [Warren] just outworked us,” Mohit Damadoran ’25 said. “And then the second half, our plan was to outwork them, but we ended up getting outworked.”

With 1:47 left in the second half, Warren scored the only and final point of the game. The Patriots attempted to come back in the little time remaining, but ultimately were unable to with the Blue Devils chewing the clock.

“We play with our heart and we play with our smarts, and Warren had a little bit more heart tonight, and our smarts didn’t outwork them,” Head Coach PepeJon Chavez said. “We have to be able to find balance between using our head and our heart, and we couldn’t find that balance tonight.”

Despite the loss, the Patriots are determined to improve their game to prepare for the upcoming challenging season. With an upcoming away game against Zion-Benton Township High School, they hope to create more connections between the players and improve their systems.

“We didn’t connect passes today,” Chang said. “I’d like to see more passes and create more chances.”

The Patriots viewed Thursday’s game as a learning opportunity to prepare for last Saturday’s game against Hersey High School. After losing that match 1-3 to the Huskies, the Patriots look to bounce back for future games.

“I think [Hersey was] our most equally matched opponent in terms of talent, player for player,” Damodaran said. “So we’re just going to bring the work in and hopefully outwork them.”