This past Friday, on a distinctly autumnal afternoon, the Boys Varsity and Junior Varsity Soccer teams took to the pitch against West-side rivals Columbia Preparatory School in their second game of the season. Over the past few years, within Manhattan, the Lycée and Columbia Prep have been neck-and-neck on the soccer field, Lions and Lynxes squaring off in tight, grueling matches. Friday’s game was no exception, though it culminated in a 2-1 victory for the LFNY Varsity team.
Junior Varsity boys soccer, playing at the same time on a neighborhing field, also won 4-2 against Columbia Prep, under the direction of assistant coach Christian Cielenou. Congratulations to Gauthier, Remi, Henri and Kenan for their goals.
The arrival of a slew of 1eres (Y11) and Terminales (Y12) and a few devoted teachers late in the first half (Friday afternoon FDR traffic made getting to Randall’s Island for kick-off difficult) brought an energy to the sidelines that matched that of the players on the field. Following the game, Varsity team coach and Economics teacher extraordinaire M. Ghenania thanked the “best fans” for coming out to support the team.
Missed opportunities for Columbia
The applause and cheers were plentiful as forward Simeon, TS2, booted one into the bottom-right corner of the goal to put the Lycée up on top. A nervous shout went up from the crowd when Columbia Prep appeared to score the equalizer on a free-kick, followed by a sigh of relief when the player was ruled off-sides. In fact, many opportunities arose for Columbia Prep to tie it up in the second, though they were continually thwarted by second-year keeper François.
After the game, although happy with the victory, many players recognized their control of the mid-field had dangerously fallen apart in the second half. Defender Mattias, TS2, wasn’t frazzled though – “We’ll just do it better next time” he said, with a broad smile and hair a-glowing, seemingly unaware of his formidable physical exertion over the past 90 minutes.
Indeed, the Lynx are looking sharp, all the while building another powerhouse team under the cool command of M. Ghenania, having a great time of it. Friday’s game was particularly meaningful for the Terminales in attendance as it pitted current Varsity captain Aidan, TES2, against a former classmate, now captain of the Columbia Prep Lions. The navy-clad ‘Frenchies’ came out strong and on top yesterday and will look for an even better performance when the teams next meet, later in this exciting season.
About the Author :
Emmett is Senior at the Lycée Français de New York where, among other involvements, he co-heads the English Theater Troupe.