JV Soccer Takes the Spotlight with Dramatic Win Over St. Mary's

The Indian Creek JV Boys Soccer took over the spotlight at their Creekfest homecoming game on Friday, October 14, with a dramatic win over St. Mary's. 

James Stubbs’ free-kick goal - with 16 seconds remaining - lifted the Eagles to an exciting 2-1 victory. Stubbs, a freshman, scored from 25 yards out, sending a perfectly placed strike over a wall of defenders and past the diving, outstretched arms of St. Mary’s’ goalkeeper. Stubbs’ free kick, earned after an errant slide tackle on him by a Saints defender, broke a 1-1 tie and set off a memorable celebration that reverberated throughout campus and the homecoming celebrations already underway.

“I’ve practiced it, and I’ve done it in a game before,” said Stubbs of his amazing game-winner. “I felt confident it was in my range. I wanted to take it, because he fouled me. When I first hit it, I thought it was going over, but it dipped under the crossbar, a lot of dip on the shot.”

Teammate Bennett Bucci '24 had given the Eagles a 1-0 lead in the game’s opening minutes by powering through a cluster of defenders for a goal. After a St. Mary’s equalizer, the teams looked destined for a 1-1 draw until Stubbs came through with the winner in the game’s closing seconds.

he win capped a week in which the JV Eagles also defeated the Severn Admirals, giving them a pair of signature wins over local rivals. At 7-2-1 overall, the JV Eagles are battling at the top of the MIAA B Conference with both Severn and St. Mary’s.

“They’re a special team,” said Eagles JV head coach Clay Aronica. “It’s been a pleasure to watch them mature as young men throughout the season. This is the soccer program’s first year in a highly competitive B Conference, and their record is just a reflection of their camaraderie and hard work.”

Stubbs, who has been playing his games with a heavily padded cast over a broken wrist suffered several weeks ago, said he received lots of congratulations and fist-bumps over the rest of the evening while taking in the boys varsity game, fireworks and Creekfest festivities. “I got a lot of ‘Great goal,’” said a smiling Stubbs. “[My teammates] were very happy, I was very happy, everyone was very happy.”
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Indian Creek school is a co-educational, college preparatory independent school, located in Crownsville, Maryland.  Students in Pre-K3 through grade 12 receive a vibrant educational experience based on excellent academics steeped in strong student-teacher connections.