By COURTNEY WHYTE
Staff Writer
UHS boys soccer had a busy few weeks, playing four league games. The team reeled in two ties, one loss and one win, ending league in fifth place with a record of 3-4-3.
In the match on February 3 against Beckman (BHS), UHS dominated offensively. UHS continually fired shots on the BHS defense and goal-keeper. BHS’s goal keeper, Noah Texter, had a total of 11 saves throughout the match. BHS’s defense gave UHS a tough time, but UHS fought back with just as much force.
In the first half, when Beckman scored a goal, 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 its own and ended the game with a final score of 2-2.
Thursday’s match against Corona del Mar (CDM) was frustrating 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 by Fuller. CDM then fired back with a goal, tying the game 1-1. Neither team could finish and put a goal away in the second half because of both teams’ aggressive defense.
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.”
On February 10, UHS lost to Northwood (NHS) with a final score of 2-3.
“Northwood is always a high level competitor with us; they really bring it every game. We were so close to getting the win but it slipped out of reach at the end of the second half when NHS put that third goal in,” said Fernandez (Sr.).
Throughout the entire match, both teams demonstrated great offensive plays. UHS defenders Aidan Galassetti (Sr.), Evan Mouchard (Fr.) and Adam McDermott (Sr.) communicated well with goalkeeper Cody Nguyen (Sr.). McDermott put in a goal in the first half, as did Sam Kelley (Fr.).
On February 12, UHS scored a win against Irvine with a final score of 3-1. Fuller played well in this game despite being sick and absent on Tuesday’s game, scoring two goals in the first half. Tommy Levasseur (Sr.) put in one last goal for UHS in the second half.
“We’re happy to end our last league game with a win. We deserve it; we’ve worked hard all season. It’s been a good run and I couldn’t have asked for a better team,” said Levasseur.