On Friday, November 15 the MFS Boys’ Soccer team won the Boys Soccer Non-Public B Sectional Championship game against Princeton Day School.
MFS students did not have school on the day of the game, but many still showed up to support their team. After two overtime periods, the game headed into a penalty shootout. The Foxes clinched the win with a 3-0 penalty shootout win to secure the title of Sectional Champions for the second year in a row.
View the full tournament bracket here.
Before the sectional final, the Foxes played the Ranney School in the semifinals, during which the team’s goalkeeper Jack Anaya ’28 was given a red card. Initially, he was not allowed to play in the final but ultimately was permitted to participate in the game.
Starting the game off strong, captain Vikram Verma ’25 scored a goal only eight minutes into the game. Following his goal, the team played strong defensively, and Anaya had a total of five saves by the end of the first period.
The boys went into the second period ready to keep their lead, and they did as captain Preston Galanis ’25 scored a goal with 16 minutes left in the second period. After this, Princeton Day scored a goal with 11 minutes left in the second period. After their first goal, Princeton Day gained momentum rapidly and scored two more goals within five minutes of each other.
The outlook for the Foxes was seemingly negative, with MFS down 2-3, until captain Matthew Schlotterbeck ’25 scored a goal with only two minutes left in the second period. Schlotterbeck’s goal left the teams tied, sending the teams to overtime.
In a ten-minute overtime period, neither team scored a goal as each defense protected their side of the field. Consequently, a second overtime was played, which also resulted in no goals. After no winner was decided in either round of overtime, the teams participated in a round of penalty kicks to determine the game’s champion.
Penalty kicks include five players and one goalkeeper from both teams, with selected members from each team taking direct shots at the opposing goalkeeper. The first team to score three goals – as the penalty kick round is best of five goals – wins the penalty kicks and the entire game.
In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Charlie McFadden ’27 took Anaya’s place as goalkeeper for the penalty kick round. The Foxes initiated the penalty kicks and captain Jared Kolaris ’25, Schlotterbeck, and Galanis each scored a goal for the home team. McFadden saved three goals in a row to stop Princeton Day from scoring and secured the win for the Foxes.
Dean Simpson ’26, a member of the team said “I never really feel like we’re out of the game.”
Adding onto this, team member Alex Kostopolous ’26 spoke about the team’s momentum and said, “Once they scored their first goal, our team just got shocked and the momentum shifted right toward Princeton Day, and they scored three goals within seven minutes.”
Even after the game’s challenges, Kostopolous noted, “I thought we would come back immediately because our team is so strong with mental toughness … as soon as Matt scored that goal to reach overtime, I knew we were winning it.”
Similarly to Kostopolous and Simpson, Galanis said he “never had a doubt [in the win].”
The Foxes will play Gill St. Bernard at Franklin High School on Thursday, November 21 at 4:00 p.m. in the New Jersey Non-Public B State Championship Game.
