We made the short trip to NMH today for a game with our rivals up the river. They’d beaten us earlier this season 2-0 and beat us again today 1-0, though we played much better this time around. With only 14 players and without starting midfielder Walker Naughton, we asked Sungmin Ahn (’26) to play holding midfielder. I was expecting to rotate several players in that position, but Sungmin did an exceptional job in his first try at this assignment, playing nearly the whole game. He was reliable, physical, vocal, and initiated possession for us after tough tackles. Our best chance came in the first half with the score 0-0. Andrew Lewis (’25) and Oscar Sanford (’26) exchanged the ball deftly on the left wing, enabling Oscar to whip in a cross. MacGregor Hynds (’25) came streaking in from the right wing and extended well to get a foot on it only to send it barely over the bar. NMH possessed more than we did, though never converted in open play. Their goal came on a corner kick just before halftime when we couldn’t clear and they poked in a loose ball. Our whole back line played (again) with tenacity, focus, and teamwork as they withstood attack after attack. Keeper Joe Berman (’25) made several key saves, one in the closing minutes which may be the finest save I’ve seen at this level. Many players put in the full 80 minutes today including Jason Bannerman (’24), Finn Knight (’25), Jack Borg (’27), and James Kurto (’26). I’m very proud of our boys’ gutsy effort today against a deep and disciplined team in NMH. Our final week of the season has us at home vs Suffield and, of course, Choate. We’re planning to finish strong!