Academy Chargers vs. Valley Vikings

On Tuesday, September 26, the boys varsity soccer team hosted their first district foe, Valley High School. Over the past few years, Valley has sometimes fielded a strong squad and struggled at other times. This year’s squad came in with a 3-8 schedule, although without too many games against common opponents in order to accurately assess their quality.
After an uneven recent run of play, the Academy came out in a new formation. While prioritizing connection between the positions that stifled the Valley offense, the team struggled in early play to find the best spaces on the field and to flow into the attack. The first half was a slow-paced affair where Valley remained in their very defensive 4-5-1 formation and the Academy players tried to figure out their roles and responsibilities in the new formation. The half ended 0-0 with just three shots on net for the Academy and none for Valley.
The Academy stepped out in the second half with the more familiar 3-5-2 formation and the pace of play improved. Still, the Academy found it hard to score and it wasn’t until the 66th minute when Chase Jones ’26 pounced on a loose ball and fired a shot along the ground past the Valley keeper. 1-0. The seal had been broken. Just two minutes later, Alex Jackson ’25 raced after a back pass from a Valley defender. The Valley keeper tried to clear the ball, but Jackson blocked it and the ball ricocheted into the net. 2-0. Just a few minutes later, Jack Brown ’25 hit a long ball out of the defense to Jones who found the back of the net again. 3-0. And mere moments later, Jones took the ball down the left wing, and connected a pass to Peter Jakiche ’25 who slammed a left footed one time shot into the far-right corner of the net. 4-0. All that was left was for Alex Saiz ’26 to make a wonderful, full-stretch save to preserve the shutout.

Academy Chargers vs. Hope Christian Huskies
On Friday, September 29th, the Academy boys traveled up the road to confront Hope Christian on their home turf. Over the years, Hope and the Academy have developed a healthy rivalry. Last year, Hope made it to the state championships and currently they are ranked #2 in the state in the 4A class. Hope entered the game undefeated. This game would go a long way towards defining district standings and would play a large role in state rankings.
Even when Hope didn’t field a top squad, they held a significant home advantage as their field is short, wide, and crowned. It is a tough pitch for teams that aren’t accustomed to it. The Academy team seemed loose and relaxed during warmups even as they confronted one of the toughest matches remaining on the schedule. That confidence spilled over onto the field after the whistle blew. The Academy was the first to 50-50 balls and even faster to seconds—an unpossessed ball after an initial, contested, play—this allowed them to connect through the midfield and into the attack.
Right from the jump, attacker Luke Babinski ’24 made it clear that he was the best player on the field. In the first few minutes he received a pass at midfield and drove at the defense. They kept giving him a cushion and he laced a shot from twenty yards that was just wide. In the ninth minute, Babinski received the ball at the top of the penalty box and went straight at the defense, dribbling and juking his way through and finishing from point blank range. 1-0. Three minutes later, Babinski was at the heart of play again, racing down the right wing and sending a cross to the far post that Chase Jones ’26 finished clinically. 2-0. At the end of the half, the Academy had dominated, not allowing a single shot against a powerful Hope attack.
Coming out of the half, the Academy still looked the brighter side, but Hope found success through their star forward, an extremely tall player with strong foot skills. Jack Brown ’25 had drawn the assignment of marking him and they spent the game dueling on the right wing. The Academy had two goals called back for offsides and the score remained 2-0 deep into the second half. As players got tired and play got more physical, the Academy mounted yet another attack with just four minutes left. Hope defended desperately and the ball popped into the midfield where Hope found space for a counter-attack. As players lunged and scrabbled, the Hope forward found the ball at his feet. His shot was contested and deflected but wobbled into the side of the net. 2-1. After several more tense minutes, the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the mid-field spot.
The Academy had pinned the first defeat of the season on Hope on their home field. They will see each other later in the season as all district teams play home and away. The team now stands at 8-4 on the season.