Hopewell U17 Soccer Remains Undefeated!

Hopewell U17 Soccer continues their undefeated steal with a doubleheader win over the weekend.

The boys continued this impressive run with wins over Wilmington and Indiana, to improve their overall record to 3-0.

In their first match against Wilmington, the Vikings faced their first challenge of the season when they saw their early lead threatened by Wilmington’s second half surge, resulting in a tense 4-4 tie.

However, Hopewell’s depth and resilience proved decisive as they managed to secure a late goal to clinch the win.

What is key for Hopewell is that there are several players that are capable of scoring goals, it’s just a matter of who and when.

That was true in this game when Nico Crivelli and Justin Dennis both were able to net their first goals of the season. Other goals of the game came from Aaden Gonzalez (2) and RJ Bushnell (1).

You can’t score any goals without key assists in soccer. Assists for the game came from several players; RJ Bushnell led the team with 2 assists while Nykyeron Leonora, Caine Sullivan and Aaden Gonzalez each contributed 1 assist each.

Indiana was their second match up and Hopewell faced a different style of play from their opponents who showcased a lot of speed from the beginning of the game.

Hopewell displayed their adaptability as they adjusted to this style of play. Despite Indiana’s speed and pressure Hopewell remained composed and capitalized on scoring opportunities.

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The first opportunity came big when Caine Sullivan executed a perfect corner kick setting the stage for a header in the back of the net from Aaden Gonzalez giving Hopewell an early lead. With the first half coming to an end, RJ Bushnell was able to come through with the second goal when he was able to connect off a rebound shot.

With just a 2-0 lead going into the second half Hopewell knew they needed to capitalize on more scoring opportunities against a speedy Indiana team. That’s exactly what happened when Quincy Sanaan made an impressive pass from behind the midfield line to Aaden Gonzalez who connected for the third goal of the game. Indiana made a slight run in the second half when they were able to put a goal through the net but that is all the defense would allow the rest of the game.

It doesn’t matter how many goals you have in a game, if you don’t have defense you won’t win. Defense proved to be a cornerstone of Hopewell’s success in both games.

Hopewell’s defense is led in the middle by Sam Wrzesniewski and Dominic Buchanan who were able to hold a strong presence in both games. Along with Sam and Dominic, James Pistorius experience in the back came up big with several defensive plays stopping numerous scoring attempts. Jaidyn Shoemaker, John and Ben Wargula provide a lot of speed back on defense and were able to cut off several attempted fast breaks from both teams.

When opponents were able to connect shots, they were pretty much shut down by goalie Tallon Coleman. Tallon’s exceptional performance, including multiple crucial saves further bolstered Hopewell’s defensive efforts, highlighting the team’s well rounded and cohesive play on both ends of the field.

Hopewell U17 will have their last home game of the season this Sunday at Service Creek Road at 5:15.