Boys muster through final games of the season

The boys’ soccer team recently beat Lynbrook High School 1-0 in their senior game on Feb. 5.

The team has a record of 3-5-1 and is sixth in the SCVAL League El Camino Division. The record means the team can only make CCS if they win their final two games and gain a wild card.

“With the amount of games left, we have a long shot for CCS,” senior goalie Edwin Chen said.

The game against Lynbrook, however, was a major win for the boys. The match was scoreless until the final minutes of the game.

“The first half and the beginning of the second half were a bit slow for us,” junior right wing Kanaai Shah said. “Near the end of the match, we started getting some shots off and got our offense going.”

In the final minutes of the game, the boys had a throw in near Lynbrook’s box. Junior right back Abhiram Yellamilli threw the ball into a crowded area. The ball was deflected multiple times before senior Cian Costello scored the winning goal.
“It was a really great goal by Cian,” Shah said. “It was even better that it was during his senior night.”

Earlier, he boys  lost 2-0 to Gunn on Feb 3. With a powerful defense and menacing attack, Gunn was a challenge for the boys.

“Gunn had great defense that was impenetrable for our offense to score on,” Shah said.

On Jan. 29, the Falcons beat Cupertino High School 1-0 for their second league win. The winning goal was scored by senior center midfielder Kushol Bhattacharjee.

Senior forward Samuel Breck attributes many of the losses this season to problems on both sides of the field.

“We struggled [to finish] our chances because we've had a lot of opportunities that didn't come through due to bad luck or poor finishing,” Breck said. “I also think that in a lot of our games, we gave up goals pretty early, which demoralized us for the rest of the game.”

Because the boys have a slim chance of making CCS, they are hoping to play without the burden of pressure.

“Now, we can just play soccer — not to win, but just to play,” Chen said. “Hopefully we'll have a really great time playing our last few matches, especially on our home turf.”

Due to printing deadlines, the Feb. 12 game against Milpitas could not be covered. The team plays its last league game against Wilcox on Feb. 17.