As the clock struck 4:00 PM on Wednesday, September 3rd, the South Windsor High School boys soccer team began play of their season opener against the Avon Falcons. Fresh off a 2024 season that ended with a heartbreaking 4-3 double overtime defeat to Darien in the first round of the playoffs, the ‘Cats looked to start their year off on a bright note at home.
With the game underway, the Bobcats quickly got the ball in their control and spent much of the first half applying pressure to the Falcons defense. Several good looks would come up empty for the home team but they’d soon find their shot.
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Senior Younes Merzougui sprints after a ball late in the second half against Avon.
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Junior Blake Lyons takes a corner kick during the Bobcats 1-1 tie with Avon.
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Senior captain Hayden Xhokaxhiu races past a Falcons defender with the ball.
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The South Windsor High School boys soccer team gathers together following the contest versus Avon.
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Junior Ian Park prepares to throw in the ball against Avon.
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Senior captains Hayden Xhokaxhiu and Jaxson Hills celebrate after Xhokaxhiu’s opening goal.
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Junior goalkeeper and captain Franchesco Linares prepares for the season opener.
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Senior Chris Maio awaits the ball during the Bobcats home opener versus Avon.
Senior captain and 2024 all state select Hayden Xhokaxhiu got open in front of the net and connected for the opening goal of both the game and season in the waning moments of the first half.
As the halftime horn sounded, the ‘Cats led 1-0. The plan for the coming 40 minutes was to continue the pressure on Avon, something that looked good to start the second half.
After a couple more good opportunities for the ‘Cats resulted in no goal, the Falcons were able to flip sides of the field and put the first true pressure on the Bobcats defense.
Junior goalkeeper Franchesco Linares made multiple strong saves but couldn’t stay clean forever. A ball snuck past Linares and tied the game at one apiece with around 28 minutes to go.
Following the tying goal, South Windsor returned to the offensive attack and kept the ball in Avon territory. The constant threat looked to finally break when Bobcats junior Riley Lyons got past his defender and alone in front of the net.
Lyons received a strong pass and lofted a kick over the outstretched arms of the Falcons keeper and into the net, taking the lead and sending the crowd into a frenzy with under ten minutes to go.
All the Bobcats players swarmed Lyons as the cheering continued for nearly three full minutes, when the referees suddenly blew their whistle and declared no goal.
Cheers turned to outrage and confusion. It was ruled after lengthy conversations that Lyons was offside, but after three full minutes, the call seemed bizarre, especially considering the very same referee was next to Lyons and hadn’t made the call at the time of the goal.
Lyons didn’t let the call impact his mindset, “Just because one opportunity is taken away doesn’t mean every opportunity will be taken away,” Lyons said.
Senior captain Jaxson Hills spoke to The Prowl about the controversial call following the game, saying “The game may have ended unfairly towards us, but the effort we showed today gave us the [moral] victory.”
With the late lead suddenly erased, the Bobcats had to scramble and were near inches away from a buzzer-beating win on a fastball off the foot of Xhokaxhiu, but would fall short and end the game tied at 1.
Lyons’ hero-esque goal was forever erased and the ‘Cats opening win of the 2025 season was delayed all on a very controversial and strange decision.
The Bobcats will have to turn their attention to the coming games and avoid letting this sour their season. With a battle against Newtown on Saturday at Farmington Sports Arena, the ‘Cats will have to quickly overcome the questionable call and prepare for the upcoming contest against the Nighthawks, where they’ll look to enter the win column.
