By Kim Ly
The boys’ varsity soccer team faced off in their first game of the season on Monday against Westminster High School, ending with a 3-1 victory.
The game started off as an aggressive stalemate as possession of the ball switched back and forth between teams. Both teams continuously pushed into their opponents’ half of the field before junior Alan Villegas broke through, scoring the first goal during the first quarter of the game.
From there, the Barons’ momentum continued to rise and they took multiple shots at the goal but ultimately missed. The first half closed with 1-0, neither side being able to get past each others’ defense.
The second half started off strong for the Barons with senior Malachi Wright scoring an impressive goal within the first few minutes.
“We found the opportunities [to score] and we finished the opportunities [to score] when they were given,” Wright said.
Many assists made by senior Sebastian Rus and sophomore Devin La Clair helped the Barons push further into the Lions’ half of the field, putting pressure on their opponents.
Wright scored another goal at the later end of the third quarter, making the score 3-0.
Both teams intensely fought for the ball before the Lions scored during the final quarter of the game. Despite this, the Barons’ energy didn’t waver and they remained strong on their defense and offense. The Lions failed to penetrate through the Barons’ defense and the game ended with the Barons winning 3-1.
Despite it being the first game they had in several months, the Barons came out powerful. Though, head coach Jason Smith noted that they still have room for improvement.
“This was a good first game for us … not just the fact that we won but we did some good things out there, but we definitely have some things we need to work on,” Smith said.
Nevertheless, they’re excited that the team has the opportunity to play and have hopes of winning the Sunset League again this season.
“Our goal is to win league,” Smith said. “We’re defending champions so we need to come out … and try to win league.”
