Dating back to Sept. 14, the boys varsity soccer team had gone six straight games without a win. Over the stretch, the Huskies recorded five losses and one tie. Senior Aidan Barnes said the tie, which came against Lee’s Summit the night before the game against Bishop Miege, boosted the team’s confidence. 

“[Lee’s Summit] was a very good team, supposedly top four in Missouri. Pulling off a tie against them last night boosted our confidence and with it being senior night that added even more adrenaline and we came into the game ready to go,” Barnes said.

Prior to the game, the Huskies held their senior night activities, honoring the ten seniors on the team. Head coach Brian Pollack said this year’s group of seniors has had diverse experiences in the program, but they have come together to be a special and hard-working group.

“This year’s group is special because as a group of 10 you have such diversity who have worked at every step from C Purple to C Black to JV to Varsity,” Pollack said. “This is a group of ten people who have done things the right way and have represented Northwest soccer very well and helped build the program.”

Senior Yousif Radhi said it was a special feeling to play in his senior night game after seeing older teammates do the same over the years.

“It felt weird being a senior after seeing my teammates having their senior night the past two season. It was nice to have a crowd and knowing it’s our last season made it even more special,” Radhi said.

With 29:51 remaining in the first half, Barnes found the back of the net to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead. Barnes said the early goal gave the team energy and created momentum that they would start to build off. 

“Scoring the first goal felt really good because it got the team going. Our momentum was really high after that, we kept our confidence and we just tore them apart after that,” Barnes said.

The Huskies maintained the 1-0 lead for the rest of the first half. Radhi said the first-half shutout gave the team confidence and he was proud of how the defense played throughout the entire game.

“I thought our defense held solid throughout the whole game and we brought a lot of energy for the team and I think that gave the rest of the team confidence to do what they did,” Radhi said. 

Juniors Parker Million and Ricki Li scored a goal apiece within three minutes of the start of the second half. The Huskies held a 3-0 lead for a majority of the second half until the Stags scored with 13:25 remaining in the game. Pollack said being able to turn things around with a 3-1 win after a recent streak of tough games will be a great building block as the team nears the playoffs. 

“I think there is some joy and laughter rather than frustration and anger with a win after a tough string of games. It lightens the mood and people re-buy in and it shows that our hard work will be rewarded if we keep grinding,” Pollack said.

With the win, the Huskies record improves to 4-7-1 on the season. For their next two games, the Huskies will travel to Jefferson City, Friday, Oct. 15 to play Jefferson City and Marquette.