After finding their footing in the last two games of the APS Metro Tournament, the boys varsity soccer team turned their attention to hosting the Academy Tournament—an eight team competition which began on September 14. The team’s traditional first round on Thursday was against Piedra Vista (PV).
Usually overshadowed by their crosstown rival, Farmington, the PV team had beaten them 3-0 and came in sporting a 4-1 record. Unsure about how much of a challenge this version of PV would provide, the Academy answered all questions early when Eco Chavez ’24 chested down a cross from Evan Chang ’25 and lofted a perfect left-footed shot from distance within six minutes. 1-0. Just four minutes later, Luke Babinski ’24 stole a poor clearance and scored on his own. 2-0. In the sixteenth and seventeenth minutes, Chase Jones ’26 and Babinski scored, moving the tally to 4-0. By the half, two goals by Grady Gilchrist ’25 and one more from Jones ran the number to seven. The final score was 8-0 after Chang finished a Peter Jakiche ’25 cross from close in.
On Friday, the team took on Santa Fe High School in the semi-finals of the tournament. The Academy boys were rolling in after soundly beating their last three opponents and started where they had left off. In the ninth minute, Babinski took a pass from Jones and slotted a shot past the keeper. 1-0. Minutes later, Babinski did it again, this time from Gilchrist. 2-0. It looked like the game was comfortably in hand. But Santa Fe rallied, scoring just four minutes later. 2-1. The game became a back-and-forth affair with neither side really controlling the contest. It seemed like the Academy had more quality, but it wasn’t showing on the field. With just minutes before halftime, a long ball by Santa Fe bounced in the box before their striker fired a strong side-volley home. The half ended 2-2.
The Academy boys were angry at halftime. Their play was not at the right level, and they resolved to get back to possessing and connecting. Just four minutes after the restart, Gilchrist scored. And then again. And then one more time. With twenty minutes left, the score was 5-2 and the contest had been decided by a Gilchrist hat-trick. As time ran down, Ben Morgan’ 25 laced a picture-perfect free kick, curling it around the wall of defenders and pinging it in off the far post. 6-2.
The Academy had arrived at their goal for the tournament, a Saturday morning championship match on Richard Harper Memorial Field against a big, fast, and undefeated Hobbs team ranked #2 in the state. This would be a statement game. Was the Academy amongst the elite of the state or a competitive side without a quality result? Things started auspiciously when, in the second minute, Chang slotted home a rebound off a point-blank Babinski shot. 1-0. Just as quickly, the dream started turning into a nightmare. Hobbs attacked off the restart and the referee assessed a penalty kick when Zach Sena ’26 blocked a shot but contacted the striker. 1-1 after three minutes. The game became a frenetic contest as the Academy style of controlling the midfield and connecting passes contrasted with Hobb’s habit of pushing five into the attack and keeping five home and driving long balls from one end of the field to the other. 21 minutes in, Hobbs caught the Academy on a counterattack when their hulking center forward rounded the defense and beat a charging Sena for a breakaway goal. 1-2.
At halftime, the team talked about playing their style and controlling the tempo, but it was easier said than done. Hobbs is an athletic and determined side. They had several opportunities to score while the Academy possessed into the offensive third but struggled to get a shot off against a compact defense. In the sixty-eighth minute, another Hobbs counter resulted in one last goal. 1-3. In the last ten minutes, the Academy had several shots but could not crack the code. The game ended with Hobbs celebrating their trophy and the Academy befuddled by a game and an opponent that never quite came into clear focus.