Cushing Academy traveled to Concord for the competitive season opener in Boys' Varsity Soccer for both programs. The visitors rolled out a talented midfield and their keeper
made a handful of top-drawer saves throughout the match. As the frenetic opening minutes settled the nerves, Middlesex began to find more possession and took advantage of the ability to
open up the field spacing. The Zebra's defense had a strong outing, led by Will McCarthy, and keeper Noah Browne '27 kept a clean sheet due to the organization in front of him and aggregate
time of possession. The key to the match was a developing understanding of movement and passing that led to several key scoring chances for the hosts. Bryan Mayhew '26 opened his account in the 5 th minute with a skillful finish from a feed by Adriano Valmora '28. Valmora found the back of the net from a Mahad Garad '29 assist to double the lead in the 12 th minute. Then it was Long Nguyen's '27 turn to score within seconds of taking the field thanks to the vision and deft passing of Mayhew to make the score 3-0 at halftime. The second half saw Middlesex goals scored by Valmora, Billy Zuze '28, and Tyler Martinez '26. Valmora buried an unassisted strike from a clearance that fell in his path. Zuze hit a scorching shot in the roof of the net as Valmora registered two assists to go along with his two goals on the day. Martinez finished the scoring with a near-post strike in the 74 th minute from a Matt Oh '29 feed. Cushing continued to press and competed hard for the entirety of the match.
Their #7 stood out for his quality in the midfield as did Chris De Morais '29 for his decision making throughout the match for Middlesex.