The Ferrahian Armens soccer team after a win on Thursday
BY NYREE DERMEGERDICHIAN
As the final whistle blew and the fans began pouring onto the field, the Ferrahian Armens Varsity Soccer team became the International CIF Fall League champions knowing full well they had made history by being the only Armens soccer team to make it through the season undefeated.
“We knew we had to play hard, smart, and leave everything out on the field. Being a senior and this being my last game, nothing was going to stop us from success,” co-captain of the team Armond Mnatsakanyan expressed excitedly during the post-game celebrations.
The Armens beat the Le Lycee Francais Lions 1-0 after a late goal in the second half of extra time. There was a definite revenge factor because the Lions had knocked the Armens out of the playoffs for two straight years and had proved to be a difficult team to beat.
The Armens played the game with passion and perseverance. With 14 seniors on the team, all had an extra motivation to win their last game and end their careers on a memorable note. Co-captain Patrick Aharonian’s reaction was honest when he added, “Last year we had regrets and throughout this season we told ourselves that nothing was going to stop us. Coach Arshag prepared us very well and as a team we came into the game knowing that there was no possible way we weren’t going to pull through with the win.”
Six championships in eight years –some may call it a dynasty. The Armens soccer team will let others have those conversations as they will have only one goal in mind and that is to defend their title next year. Whichever way, the school and the team have made us proud.
