The U19s in Manhattan earlier this month. Photo provided.
Over the past weekend, both soccer teams traveled to Manhattan, New York, for the annual Manhattan Kickoff Classic. The tournament is a three-game showcase from Friday to Sunday, with one game each day. The boys note this trip every year as potentially the coldest temperatures they’ll have to play in. Last Year, the U19s were able to win the whole thing, so they wanted to go back-to-back.
The first game for the 19s pitted them in a game under the lights against the host Manhattan SC. After a dominant performance in frigid temperatures, the 19s earned a 6-0 victory. Goals came from Said El Eyssami ‘26, Ryan Farr ‘25, Leo Doyle ‘25, and Trey Frantz ‘25. “We knew going into the game that this would be a difficult game because of the opponent and the conditions. We just locked in fully on ourselves, and the result shows the rewards when we do that,” said Doyle.
In the second game, the boys took on Beachside Soccer Club CT, which would put them in the driver’s seat to win the whole thing if victorious. The boys would start the game meaning business after scoring very quickly, which turned into a 5-0 lead in the first half. The game would end 5-0 after no goals in the second half. The first half goals came from Farr, Jace Donawa ‘25, Doyle, and Mohammed Ahmed ‘26. “We made sure that we weren’t too satisfied with our first game and knew that it wouldn’t matter unless we won convincingly in this game as well,” added Farr.
The last game was a game against rival South Kent with a chance to win the bracket on the line. The boys had a slow start to the game and suffered going down by a goal, meaning they needed to return to be winners. Jackson Weyl ’25 tied the game up at 1-1 in the first half before Farr scored in the last minutes to win the game and the bracket. “Even though we started off the game slow, I was fully confident in our ability to come back and win because of the quality we have on our team, which was the deciding factor,” said Diego Green ’25.
