Despite a successful regular season, and a clinching of the first seed going into the SPC tournament, the Lions soccer team rounded out their postseason with a fifth place finish.
Expectations were high due to the team’s undefeated record during the counter season, but head varsity soccer coach Corindo Martin knew that the field they faced was always going to be tough.
“I felt like this year had a lot of parity,” Martin said. “There was not going to be one clear winner — I think it was always going to be very, very competitive.”
Martin’s team experienced that parity firsthand when they were upset by St. Andrew’s, the eighth seed, in the first round of the tournament. The final score was 3-2, after the Lions took and then squandered a 2-0 lead.
“I felt like we were in a good place and looked good for the first part of the game,” Martin said. “It was 2-0 at halftime, so we were in control. Unfortunately, I just don’t think we started the second half mentally engaged.”
That perceived lack of engagement would go on to cost the Lions, as they would go on to hemorrhage three goals in 20 minutes. The first seed, and one of the top teams in the 4A SPC bracket, bowed out in the first round.
But, in the SPC tournament’s current format, a team will always play three games. Despite being disqualified for a championship, fifth place was still on the line.
So, after a scrappy win against a tough St. John’s side, the team was set to play John Cooper for that fifth place title. Martin was especially conscious of the fact that many seniors would be playing their last game for St. Mark’s in this match.
Senior Daniel Weinstein would prove to be the unlikely hero, though, scoring his first and second goals for the team this season in a 4-2 win, which helped clinch fifth place for the Lions. This margin of victory meant that Martin was able to craft a sentimental moment for his team.
“The nice thing was we finished the game with all 10 seniors on the field at the same time,” Martin said. “So overall, I was real pleased with the boys. We went two and one, but we just happened to lose the wrong game.”
