A larger crowd than usual turned in to watch the EABH v. St. Paul's soccer game -- and their enthusiastic cheering demonstrated that. EABH was most definitely the underdog within boys' soccer, losing every game they have played so far; nonetheless, they still gave their all in this match. Eduardo Bonato (21), the Hawks’s goalkeeper, was at his best, stopping almost every possible goal that came his way. EABH’s soccer captain, Pedro Almeida (11) was by far the best offender on the field -- yet, it was sadly not enough to score a goal. Pedro and João Lima (3) worked so seamlessly together that they even got a chance at a foul goal, which unfortunately the Lions’s goalkeeper caught.
As the first half went on, Pedro Almeida and Eduardo Bonato somehow only got better. The atmosphere was so tense (and full of bugs) that you could cut it with a knife. It was obvious that the Hawks had something to lose but Bonato persisted, saving goal after goal. The first half concluded 0x0, which demonstrated that EABH still had a fighting chance. While the coaches talked to their athletes during the break, some spectators felt the need to start a halftime show that was a rolling and spinning battle. It was odd to say the least.
The second half started and the atmosphere remained unchanged -- except the EABH crowd had gotten quieter and the team seemed to have become more unmotivated. The one time Bonato was distracted, the ball went in (0x1). Rafael Tinti (17) and Pedro Almeida attacked endlessly but it seemed the Hawks had gotten tired after the first half. As a result, St. Paul's scored twice more (0x3). All of a sudden, the power ran out and no one could see anything. The crowd’s response to this was to start an impromptu concert (which, curiously, seems to be happening a lot in this ISSL) and reprise the Soccer Boys Hawks singing Love Yourself at the Girls Basketball game. Flashlights from phones were turned on and emotions were high as the referees decided if they should call the game or not.
The lights were turned back on and the referees decided not to call the game. Because the boys thought they had no chance of winning, it seemed as if they had given up. The Lions scored one last goal and Bonato was traded in for Joshua after his best goalkeeping performance in all of ISSL (0x4). As the game came to an end, instead of being sad, the EABH audience started cheering in honor of their boys, who truly put their heart and soul in this game. Truly a bittersweet end to a bittersweet game.
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