On Monday, Oct. 13, the Cats upset the Northwest Jaguars with a 2-1 overtime win. The Jaguars came into the game as the number one-ranked team in the county and favorites to win the Maryland state championship, having only lost one of their previous nine games. Yet, the Jaguars couldn’t capitalize on a cold, rainy night in The Den.
The afternoon began earlier than usual, as friends, family and fans gathered to celebrate the 12 seniors playing their last season on the team. Cheered on by their teammates and the WJ Poms team, each senior was escorted across the fields by their family to commemorate their contributions to WJ soccer over the years and highlight their future goals.
“All the seniors know it’s our last home game, the last time we’ll be repping WJ, so it really means a lot to us,” said senior Lucas Brenowitz. “We really gave it all on the field because of that.”
As expected, the Jaguars started the game off strong, but the Cats stayed focused and didn’t allow Northwest any advantage. The game continued as a tight contest until senior Quincy Hunter-Williams was fouled inside the Jaguars’ 18, leaving the Cats with a penalty. Senior captain Nico Cornejo stepped up to the spot to convert the penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way and chipping the ball to the back of the net.
This goal gave the team an important first-half lead and Cornejo his 9th goal of the season. The score remained 1-0 in favor of the Cats until the Jaguars equalized early into the second half after a cross was tapped into the net by Northwest’s striker. Both teams continued to search for a winner, but neither team could find an edge in regular time.
After a brief break, overtime began. Two 10-minute periods following a golden goal format, where the first team to score would win. Overtime was short-lived lived, though, as less than five minutes into the first period, junior Ryan Lindsey whipped a corner into the box that was headed in by Brenowitz. The decisive goal caused the stadium to erupt, and fans stormed the field to celebrate alongside the team.
“I watched the corner get kicked, then I blinked and the ball was in the net,” Brenowitz said. “I ran straight to the corner, I saw all the fans and we all got hype.”
Their success, however, couldn’t be carried into their final game of the season against John F. Kennedy High School as the Cavaliers defeated the Cats 2-0 in their Friday night clash, Oct. 17, at Kennedy.
“We went into the game with our egos a little bit high. We were very focused on the playoffs, not what was right in front of us, and I think that got the best of us,” junior Ethan Wexler said. “Mentally, we just weren’t ready for the game.”
The Cats will begin their playoff campaign this Wednesday, Oct.23, at home against the Gaithersburg Trojans. The Cats have defeated the Trojans in their past two meetings, 1-0 earlier this season, and 2-1 in a double overtime playoff win during the 24-25 season. If the Cats win this game, they will go on to play the Walt Whitman Vikings, who knocked the Cats out of the playoffs last year, 3-0.
While there will be no easy games in the playoffs, the Cats have shown throughout the season that they have what it takes to beat any team they’re up against.
