On Wednesday, May 11, on the night of the first district game, number 1 seed John R. Lewis High School boys’  soccer team faced off against eighth seed team, Mount Vernon High School team. The Lancers had all the momentum in the world, and the home stands were filled with expectations that the team would to kick out the eighth seed with ease. However, the Majors had something else in mind. 

The Majors came out on top with the score 3-2 on a winning goal in the last two minutes of overtime. The Lancers were losing 2-0 in the first half but came back in the second half. Alex Reyes scoring in the box and Merlin Torres scoring a penalty kick, making it 2-2, but the Lancers couldn’t score to win the game. 

It was sad to see the team work so hard, arriving at Districts undefeated, with a record of 7-0, only to lose to a team with one win to their name. 

Senior captain Dylan Hirmas (center back) shared his thoughts on the team’s accomplishments in the Mount Vernon game. “The team started slow and we played like a second-half team.” 

According to Hirmas, the Lancers started off at a very slow tempo and didn’t come with energy in the first half. This gave the Mount Vernon Majors a head-start to the game, allowing them to out-play the Lancers.

The Majors scored two goals in the first half. One goal from outside the box skidded under Lancer Bayron Banegas (goalkeeper). The other goal was from a corner kick–a beautiful ball in the box whipped by the left-back of the Majors. Another Major put it in the back of the net with a header. 

Senior Steven Velasquez (right-back) blamed the defeat on the team’s attitude.  “We had no passion. We had our heads down most of the game and we let them take advantage of it, we didn’t play like us, we performed at their level and not ours,” Velasquez said. 

This means that the Lancers didn’t play with their hearts in the game. When you’re a team that is undefeated, any defeat is embarrassing. The Lancers played at a level that they shouldn’t have and should have been outperformed by the Majors in the second half. 

This was the first major loss for the Lancers, which kicked the team out of the first round of the District Tournament. The Lancers are now headed to the Regional Tournament, ranked as the fifth seed for the tournament. They face the Alexandria City High School Titans–a team that has faced its own hardships, on Wednesday, May 25.

Should they win Regionals, the Lancers have a chance to play in the State Tournament or be a finalist of the tournament. But that isn’t their plan. The Lancers want to rise from defeat and win it all and make history for Lewis. Be sure to reach out and support Lancers Boys’ Soccer, and wish the team good luck!