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The Wayland boys soccer team defeated rival Weston 2-0 this past Saturday during Senior Night.

The night started with a ceremony led by David Blahnik, father of captain Mark Blahnik, honoring the senior players, some of whom have been teammates for as long as ten years.

The boys presented each of their parents with a flower and stood for pictures. The ceremony was filled with mixed emotions.

“It’s kind of sad,” said captain Nico Pascual-Leone. “It’s the end of our high school soccer careers, but it’s also fun. We’ve had a good time.”

“It really is a combination of feelings,” said captain Chris D’Amico’s mother, Noreen D’Amico. “It’s sad to see this is the end of his high school career. He’s been playing for so long with a group of kids who have not only been his teammates, but also his friends.”

Leading up to the game, Coach David Gavron stressed its importance. The team needed three more points to qualify for the state tournament which could be achieved with two more wins or one win and one tie.

With the win Saturday and an earlier loss by Bedford, the team clinched a spot in the tournament.

The game began at a fast pace. The Warriors got several shots on goal within the first few minutes. They were finally rewarded when Nico Pascual-Leone scored in the twenty-fifth minute.

The team controlled play and kept the ball out of Wayland’s half, despite numerous minor injuries and fouls.

“[Blahnik] has given us a more vocal and a more physical presence in our defense,” said Gavron.

Play picked up again near the end of the second half as D’Amico secured the lead by scoring the second goal for the Warriors on a penalty kick.

Both coaches and players were satisfied with this decisive win as the previous game against Weston was close, ending with a score of 4-3.

“We were able to control the counter attacks by Weston very well, and we did a pretty good job of possessing the ball,” said Gavron. “We need to work on taking advantage of more scoring opportunities.”

The team’s next game is at home on October 26th, when they face off against Dual County League foe Concord-Carlisle.