Trojans tie with Highlanders on senior night

The boys varsity soccer team celebrated their senior night and marked their journey into the North Coast Section at Trojan Stadium against the Piedmont Highlanders on Feb. 13. 

The game kicked off with starting forwards Dominic Bolender, Emilio Gutierrez, and Ali-Jandro El Sheikh. Sheikh and Bolender both scored against the Highlanders in the game. With many stops in the game, Trojans argued that wrong calls were made, with illegal tackles being used to give Highlanders an advantage and the Trojans conceding two goals.

“I feel like the game was ours; our offense was dominating on the field, and all the while, we kept getting tackled,” said player Tristan Ayllon.

The game ended in a tie, with the Highlanders scoring two goals to match the Trojans. Despite this, the senior Trojans are glad to have made it to NCS.

On Feb.18, the Trojans moved into their first round of NCS against Ygnacio Valley (Concord) at Ygnacio Valley High School, ending with a win. Gutierrez and El Sheikh both carry the Trojans with two goals assisted by Bolender. 

“It felt good knowing that I scored, not just cause it was a game, but because it was NCS,”  said Gutierrez.

The defense did not let Ygnacio Valley concede any goals, with captain Ian Hsu building a defensive wall with Ebenezer Mahteme and Cristiano Duarte.

“I’m satisfied with how our defense did. We got good tackles in and didn’t concede more than two goals, but I think we would have won that game if not for the bad calls,” said Mahteme.

This game led the Trojans into the quarterfinals of NCS. On Feb. 21, they faced Casa Grande (Petaluma) at Terra Linda. The boys went into the game motivated to make it past the quarterfinals, where their journey ended last season. Sadly, they ended on the same note with a score of 0-1.

Though they ended with a loss, captains Hsu and Bolender are glad to have made it to NCS. Hsu who is a senior marked the end of his high school career with this quarterfinal game but will continue his future in business.

“I mean we all wanted a different result, but I’m glad to have carried and played with these boys and looking forward to seeing where they go in the future,” said Hsu.

Bolender, who has been captain since his sophomore year, will hold his position into the next season and hopes to carry boys soccer further.

“I am very proud to be captain and to be a part of this team. I am grateful to have played with the seniors this year, and I will be sad to see them go, but I look forward to moving on to next year’s season,” said Bolender.