The Hawks kicked off their season by traveling out to Argyle to take on Liberty Christian. Liberty proved to be no match for the Hawks, as the game ended with a score of 10-0. I could even count the number of times that Liberty had the ball outside of their own half on one hand. In their next game the Hawks took on HSAA, an opponent who has given them trouble in the past. This year, nothing changed. The Angels, with their multiple skilled players, looked to be a formidable opponent. Luckily, superstar striker Ben Woods (’21) scored a brace, leading the team to a massive 3-0 victory. Next, the Hawks took on McKinney Christian in the fortress that is Hawk Field. With the full support of their loyal fans, the boys were able to take down McKinney Christian with a score of 9-0. Unfortunately, tragedy struck the Hawks. Multiple members of the squad were out due to COVID protocol, resulting in a reduced team. Despite this, the boys marched on, ready to take down their opponent. The game was sloppy, and many chances were missed. Still, the Hawks emerged victorious after eighty minutes of domination, winning 3-0, thanks to two goals from Chase Frutos (’21) and a penalty kick from Jakob Quarles (’22).

After the Bishop Dunne game, the boys began to settle for a nice, relaxing Christmas break. Coach Walsh, however, had different plans. He drilled his players, making sure they would be fit and ready for conference play. Over the break, the Hawks went to Cristo Rey for their final non-conference game. Cristo Rey is typically a strong team; it took an excellent performance for the boys to claim a 2-1 win against them two years ago. This year, however, it seems their program took a serious down turn, as the Hawks won effortlessly 8-0, with three of the goals coming from super-sub Nonso Unini (’23). The team then spent the rest of the break eagerly awaiting their first conference matchup against Trinity Valley. Last Friday, the Trojans made the trek all the way to Irving to fight it out on the banks of the mighty Trinity River. The Hawks made easy work of Trinity Valley, dominating in a 7-0 win. In fact, Trinity Valley hardly challenged goalkeeper Devon Comstock (’22). In their second conference game, the boys took on the Oakridge Owls. The Cistercian and Oakridge soccer teams have a history together, as a game a couple years ago between the two turned into a brawl (three red cards for Oakridge, none for Cistercian). But, Oakridge clearly did not have as much fight in them this year as they did two years ago. The Hawks controlled all eighty minutes of the game, earning another 7-0 victory. At the time of writing, the soccer team has outscored their opponents 47-0 in seven games. I think it is fair to say that the Hawks have not been truly challenged. Hopefully, they get that challenge in the coming weeks in SPC play.

After a big win over undefeated Casady, the Hawks had one final test against rivals St. Mark’s. A win meant that Cistercian was SPC North Zone Champions. It was a cold Tuesday night, and the game started off in our favor. An early goal from Diego Prida (’23) meant that the Lions were on their heels. Just after halftime, Masaki Fracarroli (’22) scored off a corner kick to make the game 2-0. The Hawk defense stayed strong for the rest of the game, and Cistercian emerged victorious, 2-1. After this historic win, I can proudly say that we are 2021 SPC North Zone Champions. I would like to finish this off giving a shout out to my fellow seniors Chase Frutos, Zain Dabbous, Ben Woods, Andrew Farhat, JB Hudnall, and Joseph Smith. Thanks to our hard work and leadership, we brought a championship back to Cistercian.