Boys varsity soccer pulls off close tie with Mt. Eden

After a hard-fought battle, the CVHS boys varsity soccer team ended their game against Mt. Eden on Jan. 23 with a 1-1 tie. With girls soccer team members supporting in the stands, the Trojans persevered through injuries and tiredness in this final match of three back-to-back games.

“[A tie is] a great result to end this three-game span that we had,” reflected coach Juan Escalante. “It’s hard to see us when we’re struggling to go ahead and find the back of the net. But it’s always good to see the boys continue to fight.”

It was a chilly evening as players took to the field after warmups and a team huddle. Spectating friends and family cheered the team on. Despite multiple attempts at the goal, however, the score remained 0-0 throughout the first half. Mt. Eden then scored after halftime to put the Trojans at a one point deficit.

Overall, the game was “rough,” according to senior goalkeeper Roane Kelly.

“I think overall we should have played better,” agreed junior Ian Hsu. “We should have come out with more intensity, more strength.”

Still, the Trojans continued to play their hardest, and in a nail-biting final two minutes of the game, a cross by senior Alec Balica and header by sophomore Emilio Gutierrez brought the final score up to 1-1. Both Kelly and Hsu noted the goal as their favorite moment of the match.

“We didn’t give up,” said senior captain Alexander Alejandre Rosas. “And at the very end, we pushed harder than we ever have before.”

Rosas, sophomore Dominic Bolender, and senior Nikolas Sommerhalter were acknowledged by Escalante after the game as stand-out “midfield trio” players.

“We’ve been really trying to switch the ball a bit more, and it really showed in our connection today,” Escalante said. “Although the result doesn’t show it, we dominated this game due to their effort within that middle part of the field.”

A tie wasn’t the result that the team was looking for, but the players are proud of their effort and excited for the rest of the season: Kelly looks forward to senior night, Hsu hopes to make NCS playoffs, and Rojas is determined to beat rivals like Berkeley and Bishop O’Dowd in upcoming rematches.

“Rest of the season is definitely gonna be great games for us,” Escalante declared. “We got great competition coming up and it’s a great chance for us to qualify for NCS. Hoping to score some goals, get the boys ramped up, and be working as a team to get us towards that final goal of making it postseason.”