The first 40 minutes of soccer did not look good for the boys’ varsity soccer team on September 22 against St. Louis Park. The Orioles had many opportunities to score and the ball was mostly played in BSM’s defensive third, however the Red Knights gained a victory.

Despite the tough first half, BSM came back strong in the second half with senior forward Michael McCarthy scoring twice to give BSM a 2-0 victory.  McCarthy’s first goal came early in the second half, from a breakaway, unassisted.  He finished off his second goal with a through ball from junior Anders Hendrickson.

It was not only the offense during the game, but also the defense that worked hard––especially in the first half––to hold SLP scoreless.  “Taking away a shutout really helped our team to see how we can play not only offensively but defensively this season,” said junior goalkeeper John Marinelli.

The St. Louis Park Orioles did score a goal in at the end of the first half, however the referee claimed that the time was out before the goal was scored.  “We needed to be more consistent than we were.  We let our guard down and that’s why they scored…if that goal would have counted for SLP, it would have been a game-changer,” said senior captain John Carney.

The boys will possibly see this team again when they compete in sections in a couple of weeks.  “I hope our team forgets about this game,” said Carney, “SLP is going to just come out harder, so we need to forget that we beat them and we can’t let up.”

This victory improved the Red Knights’ record to 7-4 and put them on a four game winning streak. By defeating the Orioles, the boys greatly improved their chances of earning the section’s number one seed.  The boys hope that their success will continue through sections and onto the state tournament.