Highlights of SPHSL Games Against EAC

By L. Farhat

On the 26th of February, the Lions had their fifth game of the SPHSL Tournament against the mighty EAC Giants. Overall, we had exceptional results; with 1 loss and 3 wins! All four games were tough and our Lions fought bravely to the very end to secure these amazing scores. With that, I can proudly say that most teams have achieved a good place in the championship and are classified for the semi-finals.

The whistle sounded at 5:30, giving a start to the first game of the evening - girls’ futsal. The game began and both teams were in an intense battle to score goals. After the first 4 minutes of the game, Estela scored a beautiful goal. Soon after that, Valentina Castello Branco scored a tap in goal; the crowd went wild. The game had barely started and the score was already 2x0 for the Lions. This increased the girls’ confidence and encouraged them to make some more complicated plays and attempt to shoot more. During the final minutes of the first half, our little cub, Alice scored an amazing tap in goal. Our Lions made a spectacular first half which ended 3x0. The second half began with an unfortunate mistake by our team which lead the Giants to score a goal. However, the Lions picked up the pace and were quickly able to redeem themselves scoring their fourth goal. In response to our attack, the Giants fired up their game and were able to score their second and final goal. Despite that, the Lions did not put their claws down and consecutively scored two goals, one beautiful kick by Estela and one from Sophia De Luca. The game ended 6x2 for the Lions!

​As for the futsal boys, they were also able to play an incredible match against the Giants, securing a final score of 5x3 for the Lions. Although the team has been eliminated from the SPHSL tournament, the boys fought bravely to the end of the game and ended the tournament on a positive note. The game began with both teams playing to the same level; making some dangerous shots and strong attacks. Fortunately, our goalie, Rodrigo Biolchini, was able to make some excellent saves. The St. Paul’s Lions were able to break the Giants’ defence and score two goals by the end of the first half; one by Arthur Schahin and another one from Deniz. However, the EAC Giants were able to reduce the score difference to 2x1 by the end of the first half. During the second half, the Lions were determined to maintain the lead. Unfortunately, the Giants persisted in their attack and were able to tie the score. With 5 minutes left in the match, the Lions continued to push themselves. An amazing play by Arthur Schahin left Felipe Cury with an open goal, in which he did not hesitate to strike it. Moments later, yet another extraordinary play allowed João Benedetti to score the final goal of the match.

In the volleyball court, both the boys and girls played a brilliant game. The girls played like true lions, not letting their guard down for a second, making fierce attacks and great serves. With that, they were able to secure a score of 3x0. Similarly, our boys also played very well, fighting until the very end of the match. However, unfortunately, the boys were unable to win, as it was a very tough match; the final score was 3x0 for the EAC Giants.
Overall, Tuesday was a great success for the Lions, as all four teams fought relentlessly to achieve the best scores they possibly could. We hope to keep up these great scores for the rest of the season.