Sajid Aziz: Grade 8

On Thursday, October 13, the seventh- and eighth-grade boys soccer team competed in the Long Island Athletic Association of Independent Schools (LIAAIS) Soccer Tournament, which was held at the Green Vale School. The Bulldogs placed third in the tournament.

The squad’s first game was against East Woods School. The team came out with a big victory, winning 2-1. Eighth-grader Alex Goldenberg was the first to score with a beautiful shot from outside the 18-yard box. The ball flew into the back of the net, and the goalie had no chance. Next, eighth-grader Thanasi Pappas scored on a volley from a nice cross by seventh-grader Jake Belliveau. East Woods then scored one goal, but Buckley managed to keep the lead.

The next game they played was against Portledge School, a very challenging team. Buckley lost, unfortunately, but it was a close match. The final score was 1-0.

The team’s final game of the tournament was against Holy Child Academy. In this game, the Buckley Bulldogs dominated, but they still did not come out with a goal. Holy Child had half as many shots on target, but they still managed to get the ball in the net. The Bulldogs were disappointed at the loss but still happy to come out of the tournament in third place. 

Overall, the boys passed very well, but they could have had more shots. The more shots on target, the more a chance of scoring. At that point in the regular season, the team had been undefeated.

The fifth- and sixth-grade boys also played in a tournament. They competed at home at Buckley. They dominated each game, beating all of their opponents with a combined score of 32-5. The team was also undefeated at that point in the season, and they aimed to remain on the winning track. Both Buckley teams performed well on the field thanks to their hard work in practices.