By Maya Ekladious
On Wednesday, the varsity boys’ soccer team played their first preseason home game and lost to the Millikan Rams 0-4.
“It was a very disappointing result but it’s something we can definitely work on because it’s only our second game, so I think we’ll definitely improve and be ready for our next game.” senior captain Ethan Larsson said.
The first half of the game was defined by strong control of the ball by the Rams with mostly defensive plays from the Barons.
The game moved very quickly and It wasn’t long after the kickoff that the Rams scored the first goal of the game, changing the score to 0-1.
A few minutes after the first goal, despite the Barons’ efforts to tackle the Rams, the Rams scored their second goal of the game, kick-tapping the ball while the Barons’ goalkeeper, senior Adam Guillen, was down.
The Barons continued to fight hard and got close, but hit the crossbar at 29 minutes left.
The Barons made another attempt and had a good opportunity to score with a setup from sophomore Finn Bradshaw to Junior Jacob Cortez, but their kick came short of a goal at 26 minutes remaining in the first half.
With 23 minutes remaining in the first half, Millikan scored their third goal, making the score 0-3.
The score remained the same for the rest of the half with senior Jack Todd showing great defense at the Baron goal.
With one minute left in the first half, Larsson and junior Miguel Varela tackled the opposing team and the Barons were able to gain possession of the ball.
“I think Jack Todd played very well today, he made a lot of defensive saves and was able to get up the field a lot,” junior Max Fister said.
The second half had an ongoing change of possession of the ball with both teams making various attempts to score. The Barons came forward with competitive attacks but the Rams goalkeeper held up.
The Barons started off the second half with strong attempts to score. Todd’s strong shot held a lot of potential but was blocked by Millikans’ goalkeeper.
With 13 minutes in the half, the Rams were able to shoot the ball into the Baron’s net, making the score 0-4.
Soon after, an offside was called on Millikan, transferring possession of the ball to the Barons. Sophomore Zachary Groff shot the ball in the field, giving the Barons an advantage and bringing them closer to the Millikans’ net.
At 27 minutes, the Rams made a powerful attempt to score, but luckily Guillen blocked it. In addition, sophomore Drew Payne showed great defensive skills on the field.
Shortly after, Payne fouled a Ram at midfield in the 19th minute and was replaced by senior Brandon Jaiyen. This transferred the possession of the ball to the Rams, but the Barons were able to steal the ball back.
At 10 minutes and 52 seconds, the Barons made a strong attempt to score from right outside the box but their shot was caught by the Rams’ goalie. A few minutes later, the Rams almost carried an offensive play into the Barons’ net but Fister was able to block it.
Todd came very close to scoring the Barons’ first goal but, once again, his attempt was blocked by the Rams’ goalkeeper.
For the remainder of the game, the Barons showcased great defense, preventing the Rams from changing the score and concluding the game with a score of 0-4.
“I think we managed to hold out well once in the midfield. And also, we started getting up the field a lot more… we struggled with this the last game but we managed to figure it out by the end of today’s game,” Fister said.
The Barons will play their third game of the preseason away on Monday, Dec. 5.
As they reflect on their performance today, the Barons acknowledge their efforts and have high hopes for their season.
“[When the season begins] I look forward to winning, we have a good squad this year and I think we have a good chance of winning the league,” Fister said.
