The MFS spectator bleachers have never seen more action.
Filled to the brim with students ranging from Lower to Upper School, the MFS-side bleachers were a catalyst for student support during the Boys’ Soccer State Sectionals championship game against St. Rose High School.
Preceding the game, goalkeeper RJ McFadden ’24 announced during Meeting for Worship that the team is looking for student support. He explained that because of the magnitude of the game, he wanted students to come out and create “that stadium atmosphere.” In the end, he said, the crowd contributed to the team’s momentum, which was his goal: “It’s been four or five years since MFS Boys’ [Soccer] won such a big achievement like that … Just making sure that we could get enough people to come out to have that stadium atmosphere … and it definitely helped.”
The game’s 2 p.m. start time was troubling to some students because of their overlapping class schedule, but to many students’ surprise, teachers were willing to dismiss students in order for them to attend. Avani Verma ’24 was thankful that both of her afternoon teachers not only let their students watch the game, but watched it themselves: “It was really great that teachers let their students out [of class] because this is something really important for MFS … I’m very passionate about sports at MFS, and I’m glad to see that others are, too.”
Though St. Rose had a formidable student turnout, MFS was able to match their intimidating size in volume and spirit. Because this game was the first state sectional final hosted in MFS history, student pride was palpable. Said Ethan Cohen ’26, “Our student section is so amazing and so full of character. It represents the spirit of MFS.”
In addition to students’ verbal cheers, some chose to show their support by waving their fingers, tapping into the tradition of “The Magic Fingers.” Seen also during the high-stakes moments of Quiz Bowl during this year’s Spirit Week, this gesture of support is used during stressful moments to support peers. “[The Magic Fingers] give them good luck,” noted Kailyn McManus ’24. “It started, I don’t know how many years ago, but it’s a tradition, and we should keep it going.”
As the game’s double overtime came to a close, students attempted to rush towards the opposite side of the field where the penalty kicks were to take place, but they were blocked from crossing the traffic cone-marked area designated for the St. Rose fan section by school administrators including Head of School Julia de la Torre, who was just as anxious as students.
To compromise, students gathered as closely as they could to the opposite-side goal while staying in the MFS allotted area. The result? A crush of students fervently watching the most critical moments of the game. Spectator Rosie Paznokas ’25 said, “Everyone is so invested in this team’s trajectory today because this is it. This [could be] the last game of their season. There are a lot of seniors that everybody loves, so we’re all keeping them in our hearts. It’s an intense sideline.”
Though the team’s final matchup, the NJSIAA Non-Public B State Championship, will not be held at home and instead, at Franklin High School in Somerset, New Jersey, approximately an hour and fifteen minute drive north, MFS is providing transportation for fans. The fan bus is slated to leave after first period and return before last period, as per an email from US Director Noah Rachlin.
McFadden encouraged, “At the State [finals] game, we’d love some support. Our main goal was to beat St. Rose, and now this will just be a big challenge for us. We’d love some turnout … Please, if you can make it, show up!”
MFS hosted its first-ever home sectional championship match for boys’ soccer in school history. Due to the game being a sectional championship, MFS was required to have fans pay for tickets to watch the game. A schoolwide email sent on November 6 informed the community that the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) was requiring $5 admission for non-students. Student admission was free. The payment was accepted using cash or a pre-purchased online ticket via the Hometown Ticketing app.
The schoolwide email stated that these fees were administered by the NJSIAA, meaning all of the money went back to the organization, said Danielle Dayton, Director of Athletics: “Even though the event is here at MFS … it’s actually an NJSIAA event, and they require ticket pricing for championship-level events. The money goes to them because they pay for the tournament.”
Many parents at the game did not know that the revenue generated by the match went to NJSIAA. Some parents were under the impression that the money went back to the school’s athletic department: “If [the money] goes back to the sports, then I don’t mind the tickets as much,” said MFS parent Maggie McHale. After being informed that the profit goes to NJSIAA, McHale stated, “I don’t love how the money doesn’t go to MFS. They could’ve stated that on the website or email.”
There were a variety of parent reactions about the admissions for the game; some didn’t mind the mere $5 ticket, like Toni Paznokas, an MFS parent: “It’s for the sports and kids, [so] I’ll pay the $5 with no issue.” Alton Simpson, another MFS parent, also shared a similar sentiment, saying, “It’s an important game and it’s just five dollars.” Other adults, such as McHale, felt uncomfortable paying money “coming to a school that costs so much money just to watch a sport.” McHale said she believed that the fee should be included with the price of tuition.
Hunter Harris, the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Development, who was selling tickets at the game, noted that it was a “weird change because we’re used to having free games … we had to explain to everyone why we’re doing something we don’t normally do.” When asked about any complaints, he said, “I think people were just confused, I’m sure most people were okay with it.”
NJSIAA requires paid admissions for some semifinal championship games and all final championship games. NJSIAA ticketing information can be found here.
While the South Jersey Non-Public B Championship was high stakes, St. Rose’s team and their fans brought a different level of pressure to the Moorestown Friends soccer fields. The players and coaches brought tremendous momentum, having won last year’s Sectional Finals. Additionally, the team arrived in tandem with a fan bus of students in blacked-out attire.
Prior to the game, Preston Galanis ’25 acknowledged the higher-than-usual tension his team might have to face in the championship game, but he noted that the team still had high hopes: “Everybody on [the] team is really hyped for it. We really want to win. It would feel especially good if we beat them by a lot … they beat us by a lot last year.”
During St. Rose’s campaign for the Sectional Championship Title in the 2022 season, they beat the Foxes 3-1 in the semifinals. As the Foxes faced them again, Jared Kolaris ’25 explained, “I think the fact that they were defending champions gave them a lot of confidence going into this game.”
Galanis recognized the changes that the team has undergone structurally, improving multiple aspects of their play: “Our defense has gotten a lot better, our attack has gotten a lot better. Comparatively, last year, we weren’t as good. We had a losing record, we started out 0-5, and I think this year is a complete turnaround.”
To some, the win had a greater significance because the game itself was higher stakes. Miles Wilkins ’25 said, “I think our mindset was that we wanted to win on behalf of what happened last year. The win was really awesome, especially because this was the finals, and last year was the semi finals, so it was high stakes.”
The teams were incredibly evenly matched, keeping the score tied at 0-0 for over one hundred minutes. As to what fueled the team through the difficult moment, Kolaris said, “I think it was just us putting everything we had out on the field, it led us to the win. The atmosphere was great from our side, and I think we deserved that.”
As the MFS boys’ soccer team advances to the state finals, their last few games have been nothing short of exciting, and Paul Frendach, better known as “Vision Oasis,” has been able to capture this excitement better than anyone else.
Frendach is the mastermind behind the highlight videos featured on the boys’ soccer Instagram account, @the_mfsbs22, run independently by the team and not affiliated with Moorestown Friends. Frendach has been present at the past four boys’ soccer games, roaming the sidelines with a drone and camera. His footage includes everything: warms up, game play, half time, spectators, and coaches. After each game, he compiles this footage and creates edits filled with highlights from the games backed with hype music.
After graduating from Temple last year, Frendach decided to use his videography and photography skills to make money. He creates highlight videos for more than just sports; he creates videos for real estate, weddings, graduation, and more. He describes what he does as a “multimedia LLC.”
With his experience as captain of the Temple mens’ soccer team and as a national championship winner, Frendach’s soccer experience helps him to create his videos of the team: “Since I’ve played soccer, I know what’s going to happen, and if it’s about to happen I’ll hit the record button … I have a feel for that. Then for the edits, I know what soccer players like.”
Frendach got involved with the MFS boys’ soccer team through Jonah Bierig ’24, the team’s goalie and co-captain. Bierig met Frendach at The Keeper Institute, a goalkeeper training facility where Bierig worked over the summer: “[Frendach] is their main media guy, he does all of their pictures and everything, so during the camps that they ran over the summer [Frendach and I] built a relationship,” Bierig said.
After using Frendach for his senior photos, Bierig decided to invite him to the MFS soccer games. “Every game, [Frendach] takes around 500 pictures, along with the videos you have been seeing [on Instagram],” Bierig said.
Bierig is happy with the content that Frendach provides them: “The team loves his videos, and everybody else loves them as well. Personally, I think the videos are awesome. They are so cool. No high school soccer team has edits like these. The way he puts the videos together just makes them even better,” Bierig said.
He continued, “The videos have shown that we are a real team. We have gained over a hundred followers on our Instagram. It has proved to everybody that we are the real deal. Especially within the team, it has definitely built confidence … and a stronger sense of togetherness.”
Although the boys’ soccer season is coming to an end, MFS’s time with Vision Oasis isn’t coming to an end. Frendach explained that he wants to expand his videos to all the sports at MFS: “I now work with the coach [Mike Schlotterbeck], and hopefully I’ll be able to do all of the sports here.”
“As my role as coach and the Director of Marketing and Communications, I recognized that Paul was quite talented so I asked if he’d be interested in working for our department. So he was the official photographer of the championship game. That is the first time he has worked for the school in an official capacity,” said Schlotterbeck.
Vision Oasis will be at the Boys’ Soccer state final as the official photographer for MFS.