The Country Day soccer team won 3-2 against the Leroy Greene Lions in a tight first game of the season on Aug. 26. 

Senior forward Arjin Claire led the team with two goals, one in each half. Junior midfielder RJ Vargo also scored. 

In the first half of the game, the Cavs took a lot of shots but didn’t score. A turnover in the back allowed Leroy Greene to score, putting them in the lead. Later in the half, Vargo stole the ball from a Leroy Greene defender in the corner, dribbled past three players and scored, tying the game. 

Before the end of the first half, Claire scored from an assist by junior outside-midfielder Aaron Monasa. 

Early in the second half, the Lions scored on a penalty kick given up by senior defender Arijit Trivedi, tying the game again. Soon after, Claire scored on a break-away goal, putting Country Day in the lead and was the last goal of the game. The Cavs held off Leroy Greene for the rest of the game. 

Coach George Champagne said Vargo and Claire were stand-out players.

 “Right off the bat, they were all over this team,” Champagne said.

Vargo said first-half goalkeeper, freshman Henry Wilson stood out, too. Wilson, who hadn’t played goalkeeper since early sixth grade, made three saves. 

“One thing we have to work on is that first touch when we receive the ball from a throw-in or kick,” Champagne said.

Vargo said the team needed to work on fitness as well. 

“We were out of gas in the last 15 to 20 minutes,” he said. 

Still, Vargo said ball distribution throughout the game was good. 

“We moved the ball a lot in the back,” he said. 

Champagne is looking forward to the rest of the season. With 24 players on the team, he is planning to try new formations. 

“Knowing what we can do now with our team, knowing who can play certain positions, that’s a big part of this first game,” Champagne said. 

The Cavs play at Paradise Adventist on Sept.  2, at 4:30 p.m.

— By Alex Zinn