Boys’ soccer defeats Benilde
Students unite with all black dress code in honor of Breonna Taylor
Junior Bennett Kouame goes after the ball while the opposing team tries to block him Sept. 24. Park won 2-1 against Benilde-St. Margaret.
September 26, 2020
After a hard fought game against Benilde-St. Margaret’s, junior Joe McGurgan said Park came out victorious. McGurgan said he felt like the team started out well.
“We came out really strong and we finished it off pretty well,” McGurgan said.
Head coach Chato Alvarado said although the boys were able to maintain a lead throughout the game, they still could have played better.
“(The game) went well. We started very strong and then they got the momentum going, however, with the second half it was a little of the opposite. They (other team) played better than us in the second half. But we were able to control the game,” Alvarado said.
Junior Monda Mavluda believed the best part of the match was the intense ending.
“The highlight from the game was all the big saves that happened near the end when SLP was trying to score or keep the ball away from Benilde,” Mavluda said.
McGurgan said he hopes in the future the team can continue the momentum shown in the beginning of the game through the end. People (sometimes) think the Black Lives Matter movement (is) a trend. Something happens, everybody talks about it and moves on. But I like how as a school that we were participating in the movement. — James Vournakis
“The first ten minutes was all pretty solid,” McGurgan said. “We need to keep the intensity we had at the start.”
At the game, the all black dress code for spectators was made in honor of Breonna Taylor. Mavluda, who attended the game said that most people participated.
“The dress code was for Breonna Taylor because her hearing was the day before,” Mulvada said. “I did participate in the dress code, most of the people from SLP did participate in it.”
According to junior James Vournakis, the dress code was a great way to keep the conversation around the Black Lives Matter movement going.
“People (sometimes) think the Black Lives Matter movement (is) a trend. Something happens, everybody talks about it and moves on. But I like how as a school that we were participating in the movement,“ Vournakis said.
Vournakis also said he hopes to see more school wide ways to keep the movement alive in the future.
“(There should be) more things like this with the dress code and like the Black History Month presentation last year was really cool, (we just need more) school wide things that all the kids can participate in,” said Vournakis.
The next boys’ soccer game will take place at 7:15 p.m. Sept. 29 against Chaska at home.
