Soccer: Varsity games conclude in first round of playoffs
by Katrina Lin
Ending their seasons with a record of 4-5-1 for varsity and a 5-4-1 for JV, the boys soccer teams look to improve.
The varsity team met the Saddleback Roadrunners Feb. 16 in the first round of CIF playoffs, losing 3-1.
“I felt okay with the loss against Saddleback because we did our best and showed it on the field,” said senior Sebastian Barnett. “We made small mistakes, which the other team took advantage of, but the game did not defeat us mentally, since we put all our effort in the game.”
During the second half, Barnett scored the first and only goal made by the Spartans in the CIF round, putting them briefly in the lead, until Saddleback fought back and scored the winning goals.
“This soccer season was bumpy and not the best when it comes to our record, but I feel like it woke me up as a junior with training and creating a stronger team for the upcoming years. We will be losing lots of great players during graduation, but will also have upcoming talent joining the program. This soccer program was very educational not only on stuff we needed to work on in the field but on obstacles we will be facing in the future,” said junior Richard Flores.
Photo by Karen La
Both the varsity and JV teams emerged victorious with scores of 3-0 and 3-2, respectively, against the Mark Keppel Aztecs Feb. 8 to end league play.
“While things didn’t go as we wanted this season, we persevered and finished with a strong win. To me, this is like another extension to an even larger family, and I can’t wait to play with them again next season. I enjoyed being part of a team with them and hope we can win league together next year,” said sophomore Oswaldo Iturbide.
In their games against the Bell Gardens Lancers Feb.6, both varsity and JV lost with scores of 5-1 and 6-0, respectively.