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EHS Defeats WFS, And It Was Worth The Wait!
While last year was an interruption to one of longest and most storied high school rivalries, the boys' junior soccer teams resumed play on Friday on the campus of Episcopal High School. The unbeaten High School (1-0) faced off against rival Woodberry Forest on Coxe Field on a beautiful fall afternoon, with the EHSPN media crew on hand for a live broadcast.
With both teams having few substitutions off the bench, this was sure to be an endurance match. As play began, Episcopal quickly established themselves as the squad with superior communication and ball movement, maintaining possession for the majority of the first half. Episcopal controlled the middle of the field, thanks to the aggressive play of Jonathan Beane '24, Kane McMillan '24, and Ray Wang '24. Even so, EHS and WFS traded offensive opportunities, though neither netted a goal, with solid defensive performances from Douglas Su '24, David Song '24, and Will Snead '23. As both sides tired late in the first half, deadlock seemed inevitable. At halftime, the game remained scoreless.
EHS came out strong to start the second half, but Woodberry came out with a renewed vigor as well. Still, the game remained locked at 0-0. Finally, lightning struck in the 58th minute, in the form of a goal from left wing Jayden Muthaiah '24, assisted by Nate Bastos '24. The Episcopal bench and student fans erupted in cheers as Coach Schwanda fought to keep the celebration off of the field. The tension and pressure that had built over 58 minutes — perhaps over the past two years since the last rivalry meeting — was released in a mix of jubilation and relief. EHS could have let up, but instead they doubled their intensity, playing their best soccer of the season over the final 15 minutes of play. They peppered the Woodberry keeper with shots - from Natheer Muwonge '24, Ryu Hattori '25, and David Liu '25. Episcopal found the back of the net again in the 65th minute, this time with forward Ben Tae '24 scoring off of a rebound. All that remained was to hold the defensive line until time expired. And hold they did, anchored by the vocal leadership of captain center back Elliot Kim '24, and by captain goalie Shane Loring '24, who registered seven saves and an equal number of fast-break killing stops, including a point-blank blast in the 48th minute.
The team has come together nicely over the last two weeks, and this impressive team victory was a well-earned result. Naturally, a student reporter from the Chronicle was on hand for post-game interviews. The 2-0 High School will resume play after the freshmen return from the Burch trip.
The team has come together nicely over the last two weeks, and this impressive team victory was a well-earned result. Naturally, a student reporter from the Chronicle was on hand for post-game interviews. The 2-0 High School will resume play after the freshmen return from the Burch trip.
