Two first-half goals proved to be the difference for the Sussex Academy boys' soccer team in a 2-1 win over Saints Peter & Paul (Md.) Sept. 22.

Although it was an early kickoff, fall did its best to make a strong first impression, producing dark, gray clouds and some heavy rain.

“Four o'clock, kickoff, right after school? Normally, it's hot [and] you can't really get up for it, but, man, when they turn on the lights this early, and it's raining and the balls are flying around, that’s the stuff you live for as a player,” said junior Bodhi Williams.

Williams connected with senior Dom Catlett for the Seahawks’ first goal. A few moments later, he booted a corner that freshman Nico Haskell finished with a tremendous effort to double the home team’s lead.

“It’s a dream come true to have the first home game under the lights,” senior Brandon Jaimes said. “What more can I ask for? This is the perfect way to play.”

Windy conditions and a wet playing surface that continued to soak up rain deep into the second half may be an obstacle for some teams, but not this one.

“On the corner kicks, you can kind of just bend the ball using the wind, just like playing golf as well,” Williams said. “If you play a shot into the wind, it's gonna take it there, and I think our players did a great job to re-air on that and show some hunger to score.”

“We're very young. To have six freshmen on the field at one time is gonna lead to some mistakes naturally,” coach Kyle Wheatley said. “Our effort in the first half was good enough, but in the second half, you start to see some of the immaturity shine through, and that's where maybe we need to start looking to some of our leaders to have a little bit better effort than we did. But at the end of the day, we'll take the win.”

Sussex Academy couldn’t score in the final 40 minutes, but Sts. Peter & Paul kept up the pressure and managed to cut the deficit with a late goal in the second half.