LYNN — The KIPP Academy boys soccer team celebrated Senior Night in style as it picked up a 9-1 victory over Innovation Academy Wednesday night at Manning Field.
Chidi Aniekwenagbu, James Paz, Marco Escobar, and Timi Oladunjoye are graduating at the end of the year.
After the match, KIPP head coach Jon Langlois singled out the performance of Aniekwenagbu, who was handed a start on Senior Night.
“I gave him the start today, being a senior, and he overperformed,” said Langlois.
But it was a milestone night for Escobar, who scored the 100th goal of his high-school career.
Langlois also said that his current group of seniors was the best that he has had as a coach. When specifically asked about Escobar, the head coach said that Wednesday night was special seeing that he was able to coach the senior for all four years of his high school career.
“It’s an honor to be able to share this moment with Marco,” said Langlois.
Escobar found the back of the net quickly, scoring in the fifth minute of the match. Paz scored moments later to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead with less than 10 minutes played in the match.
KIPP was dominant in the first half as it controlled possession and put a lot of pressure on Innovation Academy. Still the Red Tailed Hawks managed to find the back of the net in the 20th minute thanks to a Panthers’ own goal that brought the deficit to just one goal.
KIPP responded well after it took a timeout after the goal. Aniekwenagbu found himself all alone against the keeper and slotted home a goal in the 23rd minute that gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead.
Escobar found the back of the net once again in the 32nd minute as he blasted a shot into the lower left corner of the net to give KIPP a 4-1 lead.
While the scoreboard didn’t paint Innovation Academy goalkeeper Matteo Savi in the best light, he actually had an impressive game. Savi made numerous highlight-reel saves and the score could have been much worse for the Red Tailed Hawks if it wasn’t for his play.
The second half got off to a roaring start as Kevin Rodriguez scored less than a minute into the half. Escobar scored a few moments later to give KIPP a 6-1 lead and secure a hat trick on the night. In the 50th minute he blasted a shot into the top corner that gave him his fourth goal of the match. After a little over an hour into gameplay, Escobar slotted home his fifth goal of the night and reached 99 career goals for the Panthers. Only a few minutes later, the senior found the back of the net for his 100th goal as a KIPP player to give the Panthers a 9-1 lead.
KIPP (11-4-0) is right back in action Thursday night (7:15) with a home game against Whittier Tech.
