The St. Andrew’s student and employee crowd, gathered over 265 strong at the soccer stadium at DIAA tournament host school Newark Charter, was anxious throughout the semi-final match between St. Andrew’s and Tatnall on Nov. 13. Students, all bundled up against the low 40 degree weather, jumped up and down, kept checking the clock, and seemed almost hesitant to celebrate even the smallest of events on the field, worried they might jinx the result. But the Saints boys soccer team left little for their fans to fear as they battled against the Hornets, winning back possession, controlling stoppages in play, and keeping the intensity high. The Saints back line, Ian Cairnduff ’26, Liam Robinson ’26, Jack Myers ’25, and Lucas Sturges-Moyne ’27, kept a clean sheet, along with Saints’ goalkeeper Liam Wilson ’27. 

The Tatnall strikers were given few opportunities to get to goalkeeper Wilson, and even when they did he stood strong, recording five saves throughout the match. However, on one play, Tatnall broke through and the ball leaked past Wilson as he challenged a striker. It looked like a sure goal. Enter Liam Robinson ’26, who made a play that Ian Cairnduff says was  “season saving … a play that practically sums up [the] entire year.” Robinson came flying into the box and made a sliding kick save, preventing Tatnall from scoring and forcing the ball out of bounds. Cairnduff believes the season swung on that play. “We haven’t been given anything,” he says. “We have [had] to work for everything that we’ve gotten.” Robinson’s quick-thinking hustle play kept the score nil-nil, and was punctuated by a roar from a rowdy Saints fan section.

After what was, for the fans, a stressful nearly 70 minutes of the kind of nervous energy that comes on the heels of a 0-0 match with 10 minutes to go, another Robinson—Luke ’28—joined his brother and made a game-changing play of his own. The freshman scored after securing a rebounding shot off of a defender from William Bido ’25. A team celebration in front of the sea of red in the Saints bleachers followed; the crowd and players seemed to sense Robinson’s goal could be the one that sent their squad to the championship.

Tatnall made a last-ditch effort at the end of the game, bringing their keeper up to the midfield and attempting to force a free kick or a corner, but the Saints kept the Tatnall offense to a minimum. Finally, after nearly 82 minutes of play, and a bit of contact between keeper Wilson and a Tatnall player, the referee blew the final whistle, which sent the Saints sprinting across the field to celebrate their victory with the hundreds of fans who packed six buses to come cheer them on. In attendance were also several proud alumni from the 1981 St. Andrew’s soccer state championship team.

Head Coach Ben Horgan ’19, who is also part of a St. Andrew’s brother duo—his brother, Alex Horgan ’18,  teaches science and coaches St. Andrew’s crew and cross-country—says that the Robinson brothers, and their play, is a testament to how the whole team operates. “Luke and Liam so well-represent the family that the soccer team is,” he says, while pointing out that, of course, “the older brother [does] the dirty work and the younger brother [gets] the glory.” Horgan’s statements speak to what he’s observed from watching his team play: the Saints are willing to work together and do whatever it takes to help their brothers—biological or not—win. The next stop for this family? The DIAA DII State Championship match, this Saturday at 1 p.m., at Dover High School. The No. 11 Saints face No. 1 Sussex Academy. You can find ticketing information here.