FALCONS START STRONG AND SET THE PACE IN SEASON OPENER

The first day of September brought the first test to this year’s Soccer Falcons, and they looked the part of a team ready to live up to high expectations this year. Playing in ideal weather conditions on a beautiful sunny day in Olney, Forcey played its ideal match against Washington Christian Academy. Unlike last season, though, when the Falcons controlled the play against the Wildcats but couldn’t find the net, this year Forcey struck three times for a 3-0 shutout, avenging a 2-1 loss in 2022.

In the first half, it took a couple of free kicks to get the Falcons on the scoreboard. In the 15th minute, after drawing a foul, Ken Tsozock launched a free kick over the wall and into the top of the twine for the first Forcey goal of the season. Ten minutes later, from a similar range, the left-footed Dominic Hsu sent a laser under the bar to give the Falcons a 2-0 advantage and a two-for-two conversion rate on set pieces to open the season. The Falcons had plenty of other chances throughout the half with some great attacking runs from Emmeric Scott and Harrison Duran, but the Wildcat defense did just enough to thwart Forcey’s attempts.

The second half was more of the same with the Falcons controlling possession. Their passing was mostly on point and featured several outstanding combinations leading to great opportunities. Forcey just missed on some corner kicks as well. Finally, in the 50th minute, Ken put the Wildcats away with a quick dribble and a sharp strike from the top of the box that found the lower left corner.

Whenever the Wildcats crossed the half and looked to build some momentum, the dynamic defensive duo of Michael Gonzalez and Tireni Omotayo-Benson protected Falcon territory. Toward the end of the match, WCA pressed for a goal but second-year Falcon keeper Ivan Bryan made the plays necessary in the box to preserve the shutout.

It was a full team victory for Forcey. Matthias Foster did his usual work out of the midfield to spray the ball into good space and set up his teammates. Mariano Carballo looked strong on the outside and almost connected with Tireni on a corner kick. Seventh graders Fraol Wakweya and Jaydis Moreno, each earning their first career starts at outside back, proved reliable and connected well to the midfield. Off the bench, eighth-grader Liam Obuya, seventh-grader Lucas Rockhill, and sixth-grader Nahili Kirubel sparked the Falcons. And in the end, every Falcon contributed in this one as first-year players Edu Nwani and Benji Bentil came in and had some good touches on the ball in their initial appearances.

The Falcons will have little time to rest as they open league play at Covenant Life on Tuesday. The Cougars split the results in two games with the Falcons last year, earning a late-season victory in a thrilling overtime match in Gaithersburg. The Falcons return to that turf after the Labor Day holiday looking to assert themselves as a real contender in the Maryland Independent Athletic Conference.

Pastor / Coach Foster
Forcey Bible Church
Forcey Christian School