Xaverian and BC High Boys' Soccer Battle Ends in Tie

On a rather fall-like Wednesday afternoon, a crowd of friends and family gathered to watch the Xaverian Brothers Hawks and the BC High Eagles square off in Westwood.

It was a physical battle from start to finish that would be determined by whoever blinked first. Eighty minutes went by, and neither team blinked, as the game ended in a scoreless tie.

"It came down to who wanted it more and the end of it, it was equal," says Hawks' senior James Richardson.

Both teams had plenty of chances, but ultimately couldn't capitalize.

"We had the opportunities," said Richardson.

"The work rate was great, and creating chances is something is that is the first step. Ultimately you've got to put the ball in the net and I think that's something that's going to develop as the team plays together more," said Hawks coach Gary Bowers.

While the team still has much to learn from playing together this season, team chemistry is something coach Bowers certainly doesn't think will be an issue.

"Right now [team chemistry] is terrific. The seniors, as a group, came in with a wonderful attitude," said Bowers.

The Hawks are still working on their attack, only managing one goal in their first two games, but their defense has been efficient enough to keep them in games.

"I think defensively we're pretty solid with what we're doing, but now we've got to take that next step and make sure there's some guys willing to step forward and take people on and create some good, solid scoring chances that they convert," said Bowers.

"We've also been working on second man defense, third man defense, and positioning in the back, and we did a lot of that today," said Richardson.

The Hawks lack of scoring can be attributed to their need to work on finishing, but also had a great deal to do with the relentlessness of the Eagles.

"They have a lot of strong, fast kids, which is sometimes tough to keep up with. We've got a smaller team but I think we did pretty well handling that," said junior goalkeeper Brennan Sullivan.

"They wouldn't let down. They just kept going, even when you thought they wouldn't. They always kept their composure, too, which is surprising because normally teams tend to get frustrated when [there's no score]," said Richardson.

The Hawks record now stands at 0-0-2, after a 1-1 draw against Franklin High in their first game and Wednesday's tie against the Eagles.

"We left another point on the table that we would've liked to have. Hopefully we can make these ties into wins," said Sullivan.

The Hawks continue their pursuit of their first win this Saturday on the road against Malden Catholic at 12:00 pm.