C-Team soccer loses undefeated streak
Photo Credit: Isabella Mahal
On Thursday, October 5, Fossil Ridge High School’s boy’s C-team soccer took on Fairview High School at home. Though the game was a battle through and through, and Fossil matched the aggressiveness Fairview brought to the field, it ended in a 4-1 loss that broke Fossil’s undefeated, six game winning streak
Right from the start, both teams were moving the ball and taking handfuls of shots on goal. Fairview drew several offsides calls during the first ten minutes of play, so possession leaned in favor of Fossil. The ball remained near Fairview’s goal, but Fossil couldn’t execute until later in the game.
In the thirty-first minute, Fairview landed the ball in the back right corner of the goal. The goalkeeper and defenders had all come out to defend the initial shot, but they found themselves surprised when Fairview snuck a forward behind them to put away the rebound. Then, in the thirty-third minute, Fairview raised the bar, slipping in another goal; this one was a header off of a corner kick. Neither team realized what had happened until the referee blew the whistle, signaling that it was a goal.
In the thirty-sixth minute, freshman Landon Johanson scored for Fossil. The team worked to move the ball up the field and draw the goalie out, and then Johanson shot to the right corner of the goal. The ball skimmed across the goalie’s fingers but didn’t trail off course. Just two minutes later, Owen Philliber, another freshman, scored a second goal for Fossil. However, the goalie was tackled during the play so it was taken back by the referee.
The half ended with Fossil down 2-1, but they came back revitalized after halftime. Sophomore Sajan Williams took a beautiful shot that lifted off the crossbar, and freshman Preston Weiner forced the goalie to dive across the box to defend another strong shot.
After seventy minutes of play the boys were tired, and when Fairview was awarded a free kick near midfield, the defenders positioned themselves too far out. Fossil’s goalie and a Fairview forward were one-on-one, and the goal that ensued came without warning. In the seventy-fourth minute, Fairview broke away again. This time, goalie Sebastian Mahal, a freshman, was able to get a leg on the ball, kicking it back into play. However, the return shot arched over him before he could bounce back to his feet.
Fossil was fairly disappointed in their performance as a team. Freshman Mateo Triana commented, “We played pretty well in the first half. The second half was a little sloppy. We didn’t connect many passes and we didn’t work as well.” He feels like the team needs to improve on working together rather than as individuals who all want to be the hero. Coming into the game, Fossil “…wanted to win. [They] wanted to keep the undefeated streak. But they didn’t play as hard as they could.”
The boys will head to Greeley for a 4 p.m. game on Thursday, October 12. Good luck to the Sabercats as they look to add a seventh win to their record.
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Despite all the warnings given to her, senior Isabella Mahal filled her schedule with AP classes and a single TA period. Many of these classes were only open to seniors and fascinate her, such as AP Literature and AP World History, so not having an off period doesn’t bother her. It isn’t just her...
