Coming into October with a 6-4 record, the boys soccer team planned to keep up their wins and improve. 

The team traveled to North Catholic’s home field on Sept. 18 to face the Trojans. The Trojans were a tough opponent, and the boys fought hard to hold them off on the field. After the battle, the game ended with a 1-3 loss.

On Sept. 20, they hosted a game against the Riverside Panthers. In the first half, sophomore Dylan Sheel scored the only goal using his head. After that, both teams fought to score more goals and defend their goal, but the score remained. The final score was a 1-0 win. 

The boys hosted a game against Hopewell on Sept. 21. This was a big game because the boys felt they were evenly matched against each other. Rain poured as they strived for goals; the game ended with a 3-2 win. 

“We had the luck of the Irish tonight, and I was thankful for that,” head coach Philip Pawlowski said. 

On Sept. 27, the boys traveled to Quaker Valley to face the Quakers once more. It was a tough game for the boys, and they finished with a 6-0 loss. However, this shows their improvement from their first game against Quaker Valley which was an 11-0 loss. 

On Sept. 29, the boys hosted a game against Mohawk. Senior Joe Hartle led the team with a total of three goals, and senior Jay Hessler scored two goals. The boys finished the game with a 7-1 win. 

The boys hosted a game against Elwood City on Sept. 30. This game allowed for many of the boys to get a chance at scoring a goal. Junior Luke Snavely led the team with four goals, and freshman Joe Castelli scored two. The final score was an 11-1 win. 

On Oct. 5, the boys hosted a game against the Ambridge Bridgers. The Bridgers had previously beat the boys, and they were looking forward to the rematch. However, the game ended in a 6-2 loss. 

The boys hosted a game against the North Catholic Trojans on Oct. 7. Within the first half, senior Caleb Falk scored the first goal which left the Trojans fighting to even the score. In the last ten minutes of the game, the Trojans scored, bringing the match to a tie. The boys gave the last minutes their all attempting to pull out the win. Sophomore James Couch, with the game-winning goal, scored just in time. The final score was 2-1, and this game secured the boys a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. 

“It’s always a great team win, especially to beat North Catholic, like after a long losing streak and to see everybody smile after just a lot of teamwork. You know, we can beat any team like that. And we are playoff ready, and we are coming for Hopewell next,” junior Colin Fricke said. 

On Oct. 11, the boys traveled to face Hopewell. This was another big game for the boys because Hopewell wanted to get back at them. The game ended with a tie at 1-1; Scheel scored Freedom’s only goal. 

The boys hosted a game against Central Valley on Oct. 14. This game was the annual senior night, and the boys made sure to celebrate their senior teammates. In honor of senior night, the boys pulled off a win of 3-0.

Next stop for the boys is a game on Oct. 20 against South Side and the WPIAL playoffs. They are determined to go far in the playoffs this year.