Dartmouth boys soccer defeats Hingham, advances into Round of 8
Landon Raposa goes after the ball on Saturday, Nov. 8. Photos by Abby Van Selous
Brennan Carter kicks the ball.
Brayden Mitchell helps defend against Hingham.
Elias Fernandes heads toward the goal.
Landon Raposa dribbles the ball.
Caleb DaSilva faces off against one of Hingham's team captains.
Landon Raposa faces off against a Hingham player.
Elias Fernandes keeps the ball away from an opponent.
Landon Raposa heads for the goal.
Landon Raposa goes after the ball on Saturday, Nov. 8. Photos by Abby Van Selous
Brennan Carter kicks the ball.
Brayden Mitchell helps defend against Hingham.
Elias Fernandes heads toward the goal.
Landon Raposa dribbles the ball.
Caleb DaSilva faces off against one of Hingham's team captains.
Landon Raposa faces off against a Hingham player.
Elias Fernandes keeps the ball away from an opponent.
Landon Raposa heads for the goal.
The Dartmouth boys soccer team will be advancing to the Round of 8 in the playoffs after defeating Hingham High School 3-2 on Saturday, Nov. 8.
"Kids battled really hard today. I'm proud of the effort," said Head Coach Joshua Silva.
Silva noted that there were some missed opportunities during the game but said that “at the end of the day, we got the W.”
For Silva, the team deserved the win.
“They work extremely hard, and I'm just proud of them and I'm happy for them," he said.
The team won nine regular season games and lost five this year, entering the playoffs ranked in eighth place. Hingham had been ranked ninth.
Senior Landon Raposa said the team knew Hingham was good going into the game and that everything ultimately “fell into our hands.”
Raposa, who scored in the game, has been approaching each playoff game as if it’s going to be the last game he plays for Dartmouth.
“You just got to give your all, what you're supposed to do every game, but you got to have that 101% extra percent of effort,” he said. “Just being your last game, you have to make sure everything goes your way and execute.”
Raposa attributed the team’s wins to this season’s chemistry between the players, noting that this year the team has been “really kind of connecting the dots.”
“We’re just having that extra love, and it just makes us play better,” he said.
He added, "We can always find that one to finish it, and we're always in the corner after we scored, so it's definitely a good atmosphere and good team effort.”
In preparation for their next game, the team will be practicing and preparing as they have been all season.
"We're going to be going at it every single day during practice, just to make it like real life games, and just prepare," Raposa said.
Dartmouth will be playing against Sharon High School in their next game, which will be held on Thursday, Nov. 13 at Dartmouth Memorial Stadium.
"This team has the ability to compete with anyone and beat anyone," Silva said.
