The Firebirds Men's Soccer Team hosted this years' annual installment of the Kettering Derby against
cross-town rival Alter High School. The Knights have failed to register a victory against the Birds for five
consecutive seasons, and that streak continued Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Fairmont.

This was Fairmont’s most composed game of the early season, and the team found its rhythm through the midfield of Trey Shaka, Gavin Weaver, and Ned Bruzzese. The Birds’ first chance came in the sixteenth minute from a Nassim Hennaoui scissor-kick that missed just over the crossbar. In the twenty-ninth minute Azariyah Nsabimana found himself bursting into the box, but the Knights’ keeper saved his shot on goal. Six minutes later the Birds grabbed a well-deserved lead from an Aaron Black goal that he slotted in from the goal box following a long throw-in from Luke Davidson. Fairmont almost doubled its lead in the thirty-eighth minute when Shaka played a ball into Freddy Irakoze, but his shot dragged wide of the left post. The Knights had no clear chance on goal in the half with the long ball being their only tactic at getting into the Birds’ final third. The half ended 1-0 to Fairmont.

The second half opened with the Birds continuing to move the ball through the lines and controlling the midfield. Fairmont earned three corners through the first twelve minutes of the half but could not find any success in the box. In the fifty-fourth minute, Noah Baumgarten sent a cross into Weaver, but his header was saved by the keeper. Seconds later, the Knights pegged back the Birds from a rebound off a Carson Dewald save. Black nearly put the Birds back in the lead in the fifty-eighth minute but his shot was saved at the right post, and Baumgarten suffered the same fate in the sixty-first minute. Fairmont continued to move the ball well and Freddy Irakoze brought the crowd to their feet with what appeared to be his first goal of the night only for it to be whistled for offsides. The visitors lacked inventiveness and were reduced to hopeful longballs over the top, but Baumgarten oozed grit and steeliness and won every one-on-one challenge. In the seventy-fourth minute, Black appeared to put the Birds ahead again, but the elusive second goal was called back for offsides. However, three minutes later Black would seal the Birds’ first victory of the season, completing his brace from an inch-perfect pass from Nsabimana.

The atmosphere brought about by the raucous home crowd and the fine display by the players on the
pitch never left the outcome of the game in doubt, and the Birds will no doubt look to continue this
streak next year at Alter.

Fairmont looks to continue its unbeaten season this Saturday, August 29th at Elder High School with Reserve kickoff at 3:00 pm, JV kickoff at 5:00 p.m. and Varsity kickoff at 7:00 p.m. Go Birds!