News Articles & Feature Stories

Over the Memorial Day weekend, ten Hoosac students represented a new soccer club called Global Education Sports Partners Football Club (GESP FC) at the under-19 age level of the Potomac Memorial Tournament in Boyds, Maryland. The team was formed this month and consisted of a total of fifteen players representing four different schools, including Hoosac. The other three schools contributing to the roster were Northfield Mount Hermon, Williston-Northampton, and Woodstock.

The balanced roster consisted of Post Graduate students, Seniors, Juniors, and one Sophomore. The team consisted of a strong mix of committed student-athletes (Boston College, Dordt University, St. Lawrence University, among others) as well as uncommitted student-athletes looking for a future home.

The feature match of the weekend was on Sunday May 29th, when the team competed against Brausa United Futbol Club (BUFC). BUFC entered the game ranked as the number one team in the United States for youth club soccer in this age group. They carried a roster of Division 1, 2, and 3 commits as well.

The match kicked off on a quick note in the 8th minute of the game as the pressure from GESP FC created a turnover in the front third of the field, and quick combination play led to a goal. Only three minutes later, a through ball was played down the wing to Roy Bigeon ’23 who touched it past a chasing defender and created enough space to serve a perfect low cross to Javier Moscardo ’22 for the tap in.

Keeping up with the rapid pace of scoring goals, BUFC immediately responded to the 2-0 deficit by scoring 26 seconds later to make the game 2-1. Following a steady portion of attacking and defending for both teams, BUFC got on the board again in the 30th minute on a free kick play from 22 yards out to tie the score 2-2 heading into half time.

The second half would prove to be as entertaining and rapidly paced as the first half. Eleven minutes into the half, Roy Bigeon ’23 gave GESP FC the lead after he converted another goal, this time on a header coming off a long cross that made it over top of the defender. However, a short two minutes later, BUFC counter attacked well to create a goal of their own knotting the match 3-3 with 22 minutes to play.

The winning goal came off the foot of a Hoosac player, this time Alvaro Sin Lapetra ’22 converted a free kick that was placed just outside the penalty box. He found the far post of the goal after curling it around the out-stretched hands of the BUFC goalkeeper.

GESP FC plans to continue to enter tournaments and showcases throughout next year, allowing Hoosac players more opportunities to compete at the highest levels of youth soccer in the United States, when they are not representing Hoosac as their own team.