Boys soccer squad wins at NCS

The boys varsity soccer team took a win 2-1 against Amador Valley High in their first playoff game in several years on Feb. 14 at Trojan Stadium.

The game got off to a rough start for the Trojans, with Amador scoring a goal within the first 20 minutes of the game. Trojan right midfielder Aaron Cheung had several attempts at goals, along with Kareem Shobakey, and Caleb Mendoza, but unfortunately none of the opportunities in the first half came to fruition. The first half ended with the Trojans trailing by one goal, leaving everyone in the stands on the edge of their seats.

The second half started with intense back and forth between the teams, both playing a very even game, keeping all the spectators excited and stirred.

Twenty minutes into the second half, Trojan center midfielder Andy Melendez drove the ball through Amador’s midfield and took a shot from 30 yards out and tied the game for the Trojans 1-1.

Assistant coach Oscar Mendizabal was so excited, he kicked the bench as the whole team stood up and cheered. With seven minutes to go, and the game still being heavily contested by both sides, Cheung ran the ball down the right side of the field after having beat a defender with an impressively skillful move, and crossed a ball into Amador’s 18-yard box.

Mendoza came in and headed the ball into the back of the net, getting the Trojans their first lead in the game with a score of 2-1. Once they had gained the lead, head coach Dario Fabian told his team to lock down defense. The back line consisted of Miles Ogle, Hayate Moro, and Preston Vanderpan along with goalkeeper Jared Unti. They successfully kept their rivals from scoring any more goals.

The game was nerve racking until the very last moments with Amador Valley having a corner kick that Castro Valley successfully defended, ending the game with Castro Valley winning 2-1.

“After winning yesterday in our first NCS game, I really felt that all our hard work has been paying off. It showed how everyone was fighting for each other and how we all believed in ourselves. At the beginning of the season we didn’t think we would be this successful but with the help of our coach and with the confidence that we built over time we really believed in ourselves and that we could do it,” said senior Mustafa Seckandary.

With this win the team advanced on to the next phase of the playoffs on Feb.quad 17 against Monte Vista High School, the same day as Junior Prom. There were at least five players on Saturday that missed the NCS match to go to the prom. The result ended up being 1-0 favoring Monte Vista, eliminating Castro Valley from the playoffs.