Nobles Boys Varsity Soccer beat Brooks on Castle Field 3-1 on Saturday afternoon to clinch the 2025 ISL title.
“It was a great chance to achieve something we haven’t been able to in over a decade and cement ourselves in the Nobles legacy,” forward Mateo Cosentino (Class I) said.
As seniors prepared for their last regular-season match on Castle Field, they understood the responsibility they bore to claim victory.
“With graduates getting on calls with us, talking to us about how they’ve been keeping up with the season, we know that this means something to more than just people on the team right now,” midfielder Vedant Kulkarni (Class I) said.
This determination shone through in a stellar first half defensively. Preparing for the match, the squad looked to hamper forward Latu Kayira (Brooks ’27).
“They’re whole offense is through him.” Captain Ryan Callahan said. “Our game plan in the midfield is to try to shield the ball to the side that he’s not on and try to make him have the ball as little as possible.”
In Callahan’s second time facing Kayira, he granted the Duke commit no opportunity to score.
“It was kind of the same old, same old. To be honest, I think he’s a little overrated,” Callahan said.
Still, Callahan emphasizes that locking Kayira down was a joint effort.
“Our midfield did a good job of getting behind him and making sure I didn’t have to defend one-on-one too much,” he said.
The Bulldawg midfield’s success comes amidst a series of recent changes to the lineup. Defender James Hazen’s (Class I) injury against Middlesex last Wednesday forced Captain Mack Smink (Class I) to move into the back line. Fortunately, Kulkarni returned from injury that same day, and midfielder Charlie Hood (Class I) also provided support.
“We’re hoping to get James back as soon as possible, but we have guys who can fill in for the time being,” center back Cesar Miranda (Class I) said.
Despite the back line’s exceptional performance early on, the offense was slow to attack.
“Our forward line had a pretty frustrating first half,” Captain Juju Fynn-Thompson said. “It was probably one of the worst halves we had all season from a competitive standpoint.”
In the 28th minute of the second half, Nobles allowed their first goal in eight games.
“We lost track of the guy trailing at the top of the box. It’s like all the goals we’ve given up this year,” Callahan said.
With little time left and history on the line, the Dawgs rediscovered their flow almost immediately. Soon after Brooks scored, midfielder Nate Sykora (Class II) floated a prayer into Brooks’s box.
“I first thought about shooting it, and then I thought, ‘I’ll just loft it in the box and hopefully somebody will be on it,’” he said.
The ball met Fynn-Thompson, who volleyed it in to equalize. Not long after, Sykora delivered a corner kick that was met by the head of forward Luke Gellert (Class V).
“Juju told me to run near post, and I was like, ‘All right, I got it.’ Nate dropped it right on my head. The rest I don’t know,” Gellert said.
Nobles took the lead with Gellert’s header, and a goal by forward Anran Liu (Class I) off a cross by Cosentino made it 3-1 late in the game, securing the comeback. Brooks’s fate was sealed.
“Honestly, I think we always knew we were gonna come back. Everybody was so dialed before the game,” Sykora said.
Staying resilient in tough matchups has been a consistent theme throughout the season and will continue to define the team’s play as they enter the playoffs next week.
“If we’re able to play our game where we want to, then we’ll be able to win,” Miranda said. “That’s the mindset we have for any game.”
