By COURTNEY WHYTE
Staff Writer
The UHS boys varsity soccer team had an exciting week of games that resulted with two ties. The team played Beckman (BHS) on Tuesday, February 3, tying 2-2. The Trojans then tied 1-1 with Corona del Mar (CDM) on Thursday, February 5.
On Tuesday’s match against BHS, UHS dominated offensively. UHS fired shot after shot on the Beckman defense and goal-keeper. BHS’s goal keeper, Noah Texter, had a total of 11 saves throughout the whole match. BHS’s defense gave UHS a tough time, but UHS fought back just as forcefully.
In the first half, Beckman scored the first goal, but UHS fired back with a goal of its own from center mid Marcos Fernandez (Sr.) with an assist from forward Indiana Fuller (Sr.). The half ended with a score of 1-1.
In the second half, adrenaline ran high as both teams hoped to score a winning goal. Fuller pulled through with the help of his teammate, Justin Lin (Sr.) who gave him the assist. BHS then answered back with a goal of their own and the game ended with a final score of 2-2.
Thursday’s match against CDM was another frustrating game for UHS because the team was looking for a win, but ended with another tie. UHS scored the first goal of the match with a penalty kick taken by Fuller. CDM then fired back with a goal, tying the game at 1-1. Neither team could finish and put a goal away in the second half because of both teams’ aggressive defense. UHS defenders Aidan Galasetti (Sr.), Evan Mouchard (Fr.) and Adam McDermott (Sr.) gave CDM a hard time scoring and all played excellent in the back and connected passes.
Nathaniel Herrera (Sr.) said “CDM had a lot of height on their team so it was hard to win headers, but once we adjusted and learned to move the ball around we got a lot more opportunities. Our pressure helped us because they couldn’t function well under pressure”.
Fuller talked about his team’s performance this week with a positive attitude and said, “It’s frustrating for us because we know we can beat these teams. We just can’t afford the tiny slip ups that allow a goal because that’s what makes the difference between a tie and a win. I still think we have a good chance to make it to CIF and my team deserves it.”
The team is now 2-3-3 in league. The Trojans will next play against Northwood on Tuesday, January 10.