In a season that had many ups and downs, the Eleanor Roosevelt High boys soccer team saw its season abruptly end in the 4A regional semifinal game against High Point on Thursday. The Raiders fell to the Eagles 6-5 in a shootout after a 1-1 regulation and two extra time periods could not decide the winner.
It was only fitting that a shootout would decide this matchup of two evenly-matched county powerhouses. ERHS finished the regular season 9-1, with the only loss coming on the road against High Point early in the season.
Shots were difficult to come by in regulation as both teams showed stellar defense. The Eagles scored on a breakaway shot in the first half that bounced off a diving GK Chris Bonnell. The Raiders responded in the second half after a long throw-in by senior Jeff Hopper. On a carom near the goal, the ball deflected off the head of junior Rene Pizarro into the net.
The shootout held true to its name. The Eagles and Raiders traded goals for five rounds, but after a sixth High Point goal, ERHS senior captain Harif Balogun’s shot was saved, ending the magical season for the Raiders.
Reflecting on the season, there are nothing but positives to look at in players’ minds. A 9-1 record, beating the defending state champion Bowie Bulldogs, a spotless home record, and a Prince George’s County championship are just a few of the many great accomplishments during the Raiders’ 2009 season.
For Pizarro, the likely captain of next year’s team, all that is great, but the one thing he takes away from this season is the great chemistry the team had. “We all had high hopes for ourselves, but we managed to turn the soccer team into a family, and we managed to turn practice into a place where you'd want to be, because we were all close,” he says.
Senior captain Chris Bonnell believes the county championship banner that will be raised in the gymnasium epitomizes the greatest accomplishment of the team. “We will be remembered forever. It is something that hasn't been done in several years which distinguishes our class [from] all of the others.”
Chemistry, along with working on the little things in practice, helps to build a team emotionally, mentally, as well as physically. Bonnell, the emotional leader of the team, believes the past four years represent a vital part of his life.
“Regardless of what any record says these four years playing soccer at Eleanor Roosevelt High School have been one of, if not the most important and special experiences of my life,” he says. “There is no bond or experience I have ever gone through that was the same. I can say with no exaggeration that those people are my family and I love every one of them.”
It will be difficult to replace one of the winningest senior classes in school history; a class that went undefeated at home dating back to its junior varsity days in 2006. Pizarro says out of all the great things the class of 2010 players brought to the table he will miss “their talent and desire to win” the most.
The team will lose ten seniors from this past season. Pizarro believes the key to success in subsequent years will be the play of the younger members of the team.
“I feel like we have the responsibility to teach and help out the underclassmen because they will play an important role in the team next year. We have to make sure they understand and want success as much as [we do].”
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