Caption: PACA U16 boys celebrate their silver medal victory after receiving second place in their tournament category. [Marisa Lobato]
by Isabella Bruniera
On the Saturday morning of September 6, the PACA U16 boys’ soccer team participated in a highly competitive tournament, finishing in second place and earning their first-ever silver medal. The tournament brought strong challenges to their level of skill on the field, but also highlighted the team’s unity and growth.
The Warriors JV soccer players started strong with a 1–0 victory over EAC, then held Chapel to a 0–0 draw before winning in penalty kicks. In the final match, the PACA Warriors fought hard but fell to Graded by a narrow 1–0 score.
In every game, the Warriors worked hard and played together as a team. Each match was tough, but PACA stayed strong and gave a solid performance.
Rafael Oliveira from 9th grade, one of the players on the U16 squad, reflected on how the team performed.
“I think we played at a very good level, but we could always have done better,” said Oliveira.
He also expressed satisfaction in the team’s achievement.
“We ended up getting second place and I felt very satisfied because we ended up getting a second place medal for the first time,” said Oliveira.
For many players, the lessons learned on the field were just as important as the medal itself.
“The game went really well, and we learned how to play better as a team when we have a goal on the line,” Oliveira said.
Another player, sophomore Matheus Steinberg, described what stood out to him during the U16 tournament.
“It was very competitive and PACA did very well against all of the teams,” said Steinberg.
For Steinberg, this wasn’t his first experience at a tournament.
“It was my 4th time,” said Steinberg. “My first was a JV festival at EAC when I was in 7th grade.”
Looking back on the tournament as a whole, Mathues shared his thoughts on how the team performed.
“I think the team went well because we played very united with each other and we were physically prepared,” said Steinberg.
The U16 Warriors’ second-place finish showed, not only their skill, but also their ability to grow as a team under pressure. With their medal in hand and lessons learned, the PACA boys are ready to continue building momentum for future tournaments.
