The Fort Hamilton High School’s Boys Varsity Soccer Team won its fourth consecutive division title and made its fifteenth consecutive playoff appearance under the guidance of Coach Khodorkovsky and his assistant coaches, Ms. Sornoza and Mr. McKeon. After a 7-1-1 regular season, the Tigers had high hopes for a lengthy playoff run. Unfortunately, their season came to an end with a 2-0 loss to the Academy of American Studies at Frank Principe Field in Queens.
Coach Khodorkovsky’s team got off to a strong start during the regular season, going 4-0, with wins against John Dewey, New Utrecht and Abraham Lincoln High School. The most impressive wins were mid-season victories over Dewey (8-0) and Lafayette (6-0) in late September. It was clear the Tigers were more balanced and experienced than their clearly-overwhelmed opponents. The only real flaw during the regular season was a 1-0 loss against a formidable FDR team that played a physical, tough defensive game. The Tigers ended the season with two shutout victories over Lincoln (2-0) and Midwood (3-0). This allowed them to gain momentum as they headed into the playoffs.
Once the post-season began, the Tigers proved to be fast and dominant as they held Midwood scoreless in the first round of the playoffs. The game featured goals by seniors Bryan Carrillo and Mohamad Fares, as well as solid work in net by junior Sergei Kurashov, who was steady all season long. This set up a second-round playoff encounter with the 8-2 Eagles from Academy of American Studies, fresh off a 7-1 defeat of DeWitt Clinton High School. While the Tigers entered their 2nd round contest with high hopes, the Eagles proved to be too much, and Fort Hamilton saw its season come to an end.
Despite the disappointing end to their season, Coach Khodorkovsky is very proud of his team, which rebounded from a rough 2024 season. The Tigers, led by seniors Carrillo, Dante Nolasco, Anthony Hernandez and Emil Urodin, proved to be tenacious and willing to put in the work necessary to excel on the pitch.
“They were truly a team in every sense of the word, in that they were willing to put their individual egos aside and work extremely hard to achieve a common goal,” said Coach Khodorkovsky, who was pleased with the team’s communication, teamwork and toughness, and believes next year’s team will be ready to take it to the next level. There is no doubt that this team has the ability and determination to do just that in 2026.
