[For the full photo gallery of Thursday’s game against Warren High School, click here.]
By COURTNEY WHYTE
Staff Writer
University High School’s (UHS) varsity boys soccer participated in the Aliso tournament this past weekend from Thursday, December 4 to Saturday, December 6.
UHS’s first pre-season match was against Warren High School on Thursday, December 4. UHS came out victorious with a final score of 1-0. Milan Allister (So.) scored the goal with an assist from Riley Duncan (Jr.) early in the second half.
Co-captain David Kim (Jr.) said, “We had a lot of opportunities, but the team couldn’t convert. In general, the team played really well that game.”
The Aliso Tournament continued on Friday, December 5. The team lost its first game 1-2 against Esperanza High School. They were behind the whole game with a score of 2-0, but Daniel Brouwer (Sr.) scored in the last minute of the game, allowing UHS to advance to the next round. Advancement in the tournament is point-based, so the team was able to advance despite the loss.
They then played Downey High School Saturday morning at Laguna Hills High School. Co-captain Tommy Levasseur (Sr.) said, “We struggled mentally and physically after having played two games over the past two days. Our bodies were tired and it showed in Saturday morning’s game.” They lost the match with a final score of 1-2. Evan Mouchard (Fr.) scored UHS’s goal with an assist from Levasseur.
Losing that game put UHS in a consolation game against J Serra High School. The game against J Serra was close as both teams battled to score. In the first half, co-captain Adam McDermott (Sr.) scored off a cross by Daniel Moreno (?). J Serra was able to score in the second half. The game ended with a final score of 1-1.
Overall, it was a frustrating weekend for UHS’s Varsity Boys soccer, but the team is preparing for their next pre-season match against Huntington Beach High School on December 8. Nathaniel Herrera (Sr.) said, “We came out short this weekend and we all know we can do much better. We need to work on spacing and faster passes and touches so we can be more dominant on the offensive side. We have a lot to work on as a whole but we are using this tournament as a learning experience and we plan on coming out hard against Laguna in our next pre-season game.”