Thursday, the Archbishop Curley Friars (7-7) outscored the JC Patriots (2-12) in men’s soccer 4-2 in the final game of the regular season.

Before the game, seniors Andrew Brown, Nick Clarke, Austin Kozel, Tony Orbino, Shaun Ostrowski and Alassane Ouedraogo were honored with senior day festivities.

The game started off with a bang. Twelve minutes in, Ouedraogo laid the ball off to junior Vince Perry, who fired a rocket into the upper corner from 30 yards out, giving the Patriots a 1-0 lead. The goal was Perry’s first of the season.

The lead only lasted two minutes, though. In the 15th minute, Curley was awarded a free kick from just outside the box. Junior Grant McAvan fired a low shot through the wall and into the back of the net, knotting the score at one.

JC recaptured the lead after 28 minutes. Once again, Perry was involved in the goal. The midfielder played a through ball to sophomore Peter Wenger, who slid the ball back across the goal, where it was poked in by junior striker Danny Beil. This was Beil’sthird goal of the season, making him JC’s leading scorer.

Once again, the lead didn’t last long. In the 33rd minute, a Curley corner floated in to the near post, where sophomore Brad Warencicz headed the ball to level the score at 2-2.

Curley grabbed the lead two minutes later. Following a great kick-save, senior goalkeeper Andrew Brown was called for a foul in the box and received a yellow card. Curley senior Steve Anderson calmly scored on the penalty, making the score 3-2 at the half.

“Our offense played better than we have all year in the first half. We moved the ball well and finished our chances, but we weren’t solid on set pieces, which cost us,” junior JC midfielder Alex Snyder said.

Following halftime, the game slowed down. Although both teams had numerous chances, neither maintained the killer instinct that was apparent in the first half. The game was sealed in the 70th minute when Warencicz broke away again and scored his second goal of the game. This was Curley’s first goal in the run of play in the game, showing their superior set pieces.

The 4-2 loss ended a tough season for the Patriots under first-year coach and social studies teacher Jim Fendryk. JC finished seventh in the conference, behind Curley by 15 points. Unfortunately, only the top six teams make the playoffs. Gilman, Mount St. Joe, McDonough, Calvert Hall, Loyola, and Curley all made the playoffs, seeded in that order.

“It’s sad to see [the season] over with. I’ve had a great time the past four years, and I hope the team does well next year and builds on the performances from the end of this season next year. It just sucks for it to end, but I guess it’s going to happen to every [team],” senior Tony Orbino said.

Henry Shepard can be reached for comment at [email protected].