Trojans Push Past Tough Loss
The CVHS girls varsity soccer team squared off against Piedmont for their sixth league game on Jan. 25. As Piedmont can be considered a rival of Castro Valley, tensions were high before and throughout the game. This close game was very hard fought by both sides right down to the final score of 2-0 Piedmont Highlanders.
From the very first whistle, both teams were firing shots downfield coming close to scoring many times. CVHS fought hard to get through the defense and get shots on goal. But the Highlanders also struggled in this back-and-forth play as the Trojan defense locked them down.
CVHS’s dominant defense only let one shot on goal for the whole first half. Led by captains Kiana Ayllon, a junior, and senior Subhi Karki, the Trojans successfully fended off any shot attempts and played the ball down to their offense.
As both defenses played hard, halftime sounded with a score of 0-0. Both teams regrouped and rested up for what would be a very hard second half.
The second half started with the Trojans having good control of the ball in midfield thanks to senior captain Maddelyn Carrington, who started many shot attempts downfield.
Midway through the second half, Piedmont gained control of the ball and pushed downfield. The Trojans’ defense slipped up and allowed Piedmont to have a close shot in the box. Keeper Cassidy Berg blocked the tough shot but the ball bounced back for a second shot that slipped into the goal.
Now down with 15 minutes left, CVHS found a second wind and pushed hard against the Highlanders, launching many shot attempts downfield. On a long pass, however, the ball was intercepted by Piedmont’s midfield, who took a shot downfield. The ball sailed high in the air toward the goal and passed the leaping keeper into the back of the net.
Sadly, the Trojans with all of their effort could not break through the Piedmont defense and failed to score in the last minute, leaving the game at a score of 2-0 Piedmont.
“It was a tough loss, but we lose as a team and move forward,” reflected Ayllon.
Even after the tough loss, the Trojans look forward to improving for the next time they face the Highlanders.