DAYTON - Last night the Fairmont Men's Soccer team travelled to the Patriots of Archbishop Carroll High School. Carroll entered the match ranked #1 in Ohio for Division 3. The Birds made it clear from the opening kickoff that they intended to hand the Patriots a loss on their senior night, and the chances came early and often for Fairmont. In the fifth minute, Gavin Weaver launched a free kick into the box that had a chance to sneak under the crossbar, but the keeper made the save. Two minutes later, Torin Brock slipped Freddy Irakoze through, but his shot was saved, and the same would happen in the sixteenth minute on a shot from Nate Bittner, a volley from Brock in the twentieth minute, and a fine solo effort by Irakoze in the twenty-first minute. Fairmont then had four successive corners in a span of two minutes but could not unlock the Patriot defense.

The breakthrough finally came in the thirty-fifth minute when Weaver delivered a free kick into the box from the Patriots sideline that found man-of-the-match Nate Bittner take a touch and curl his shot past the unsuspecting keeper. Fairmont wasted no time in doubling its lead two minutes later when Bienvenu Niyonkuru put the press on the hosts in the midfield that caused a turnover. Grey Danner picked up the ball, drove 25 yards, quickly shifted it to his left foot and launched a curling shot into the left upper ninety. The Patriots had a free kick chance from the edge of the penalty area in the final minute, but Gavin Fourman made a diving save to his left to maintain the two-goal lead at halftime.

Fairmont controlled much of the second half and gave few chances to the hosts. Sophomore keeper
Carson Dewald made an incredible save in the fifty-ninth minute to preserve the clean sheet and
showed great decision-making in his box. Brock nearly added a third goal with six minutes left to play
when he picked up the ball from the right side of the penalty area, snaked his way by and through three defenders, and launched a strike that smashed off the right post. Fairmont withstood a late
attack from three consecutive corners in the seventy-seventh minute, but the result was never in doubt.

It was another complete team effort from back to front. The backline of Caleb Black, Luke Davidson,
Danner, Bittner, and Noah Baumgarten were patient and disciplined. Center midfielders Chris Schafer
and Will Herman dominated the middle of the pitch and forced almost all the Patriot attacks to come
from the flanks. Weaver, Brock, and Irakoze kept the attacks coming from the outside, and used the
central midfielders to cycle the ball left and right, and striker Bien Niyonkuru harassed the Patriot
backline with his speed of attack. The win takes Fairmont to 11-2-1, with three matches left in the
regular season. Fairmont extends its winning streak to 7 in a row, the longest streak since 2005!

Fairmont will recognize its Senior class of 2026 at home against Miamisburg High School on Tuesday,
October 7th . JV kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. and Varsity kickoff is at 7:15 p.m. Go Birds!