The Oratory Prep soccer team has been through both the high and low tides this season. Although they have been faced with playing 3 top 10 opponents thus far, Oratory has continued to stick with each other through the good times and bad. Once 2-8, the Rams are now on a four game win streak dating back to when they beat Governor Livingston on October 5th. With a rough start, they were rewarded with a 13th seed in the Union County Tournament, meaning no home games for them. They would start off by traveling to Roselle Park and taking care of business with a 6-1 win. New Providence was next as the boys scored 2 goals in the first five minutes to move on 4-2. This meant that Oratory would set a rematch with Summit in the quarter finals at Upper Tatlock Field.
The game between both the Hilltoppers and the Rams could be defined as a defensive battle. Senior Aidan Fahy and Alex Pando held down the fort in the back with the help of Bruno Pastore and Derek Zapata. The Rams only had four shots, as they were crucial chances, but failed to put the ball in the back of the net. The Rams stayed poised throughout the whole game, waiting for opportunities of their own, while stopping those attempted by the Hilltoppers. The Rams would keep this game on as it would go into overtime, and remain scoreless even after that. This means that the game would be decided on penalty kicks. The first kick came from the Hilltoppers as George Fagan would save it to put the Rams at an advantage. Aidan Fahy set the tone on the offensice side with a beautiful kick down the middle, followed by senior captain Max Cook with a top right banger. George Fagan would save another penalty kick to increase the Rams advantage. Although the Rams missed a few times, Bruno Pastore would then step up a deliver a crucial kick to keep the Rams alive. After a third Summit miss, Derek Zapata stepped up, lifted his foot, and struck for destiny as he went on to give the Rams a win and a semi final game to play. Zapata with his late heroics would win MOTM, giving Oratory a piece of history. For the first time, the school has earned a spot in the semifinals for the county tournament. The Rams now sit 6-8 and will rematch SPF (NO.8 in the state) for a game in the UCT final. Come out and support the boys 7:30 at ALJ highschool in Clark.
