On Sunday, Taft traveled to Albany, NY to play a match in the NXT LVL Invitational, which presented high school soccer players an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of over a hundred college coaches. The Rhinos featured in one of the event’s marquee match-ups, taking on a talented Northwood School team. Right from the start, it was evident that this match was going to be played at a high tempo. Both sides created chances early on, but at each turn, the defenses and goalkeepers were equal to the task. Goalkeeper Nathan Harlow made a few saves for Taft while also helping the team keep possession with his feet, while Vincent Hassel and La Zai Outerbridge did well to keep Northwood’s dynamic attack from finding the back of the net. Throughout the first half, Ben Osset, Enoch Duodu, and Nolan Jacobi looked dangerous for The Big Red, but after forty-five minutes of play, the match remained goalless. However, only two minutes into the second half, Taft broke the deadlock when Alexander Henderson served a free kick into the Northwood penalty area. After an initial challenge, the ball fell to the feet of Ale Gharzouzi, who drilled a low shot underneath the diving goalkeeper and into the back of the net to give Taft the lead. With fifteen minutes left to play, Taft doubled the lead when Henderson whipped in another cross towards the front post. Preston Alessio flicked the ball towards the goal, and before the goalkeeper could make a play, Outerbridge rose to meet the ball and headed it into the corner of the goal. In the final minutes, Northwood pushed numbers forward in search of a goal, but strong defensive efforts from Max Rivera, McKenzy Pierre, and Sebastián Mejia-Rivera helped Taft preserve the shutout. The 2-0 victory was, perhaps, Taft’s best performance of the young season, and now, the Rhinos will prepare for their first home game of the season against Deerfield.