Boys Soccer Nabs 7th NEPSAC Championship
Millbrook was in seventh heaven on Monday morning, still riding high from the boys varsity soccer team’s impressive run through the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class C Tournament. The boys made the nearly four-hour drive to Brooks School early Sunday morning, and when they returned later that evening, they were greeted as NEPSAC champions for the seventh time in school history.
After the No. 4-seeded Mustangs took care of business against No. 5 Concord Academy in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, they played spoiler the rest of the way, knocking off No. 1 Greens Farms Academy by a score of 3-2 and then dominating No. 2 Wheeler School 5-0 in the finals. In the championship match, a hat trick from Marcus Paul ’27, along with goals from Oliver Hougland '26 and Ajak Dau '26, brought the NEPSAC Class C trophy home to Millbrook for the first time since 2018.
Head Coach Scott Ruggles, who picked up a milestone 200th win as a NEPSAC coach in the semifinal match, praised his squad’s determination throughout the process:
“Playoff week is a test of a team's mettle and especially when they have to travel for every game,” he noted. “The team trained well during the week and obviously had a title as their sole focus. Over the final weekend we traveled 400+ miles in 36 hours and played the No. 1 seed and No. 2 seed in that span to bring home the title. There was a group of players who lost in the semifinals in 2023 and a larger group that was disappointed the team didn't even receive a bid to the tournament in 2024. This made helping them focus on each game much easier.”
The team also overcame injuries to starters and a slow start to the season. It took a true team effort, from the coaching staff to the Milly Hype Squad, to turn things around—and turn things around they did. The Mustangs went undefeated for over a month to finish the year and take the title.
“The team was unbelievably resilient,” explained team captain Ross Ezrow ’26. “Despite a bunch of injuries at the start of the year, we managed to keep ourselves afloat and set ourselves up for the run of 11 straight victories to finish the year. This team's ability to get wins over the line during that stretch despite whatever adversity came our way was incredible, and I think so much of that goes down to all three coaches as well as our defense and goalkeeper Paul LaPage. Winning the tournament came down to some exceptional team performances and hitting our stride at the right time. Personally, it feels amazing to finally win the trophy, especially doing it with such a great group of people around me.”
When they returned to campus on Sunday, tired but triumphant, a large crowd of their classmates and teachers were waiting for them. The squad was all smiles as they paraded through a cheering tunnel of their biggest fans.
“We can't thank the school community and especially the athletic administration and training staff enough for their support of us throughout the playoffs and season alike,” said Ruggles. “Our assistant coaches were incredible in their work with the players all year. Finally, our seniors need a significant amount of credit as they kept everyone focused and pushed the effort level the entire season.
“They knew what they wanted and they went out and got it.”
Watch the full championship match replay:
Watch the full championship match replay:
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