Boys soccer: another season over, team is left with things to consider

The boys’ varsity soccer team is looking back with regret after enduring a rocky season that ended with a loss to Mountain View on Feb. 6.

The boys lost 6-1 to Mountain View after playing a difficult game with two key players out: junior left center defender Matt Marshall and freshman left forward Jon Jonqua.

“Having some players missing meant we had to replace them at the last minute,” said senior goalie Alex Yen. “Also, [Coach Brock Woodard] gave us an awkward line up which was confusing for some players who were used to their normal positions.”

This loss came at a particularly devastating time for the Falcons as things had started to look up for the team over the last few weeks of the season. Despite the fact that the team’s hopes of making it CCS were already shot, the team enjoyed a three-game winning streak after losing 2-0 to Lynbrook on Jan. 7. The streak ended on Jan. 30 after the team’s victories against Los Altos 3-2, Wilcox 4-0 and Homestead 3-2. The Los Altos game ended closely with goals scored first by junior center mid-fielder Sean Ashe, then by senior captain Chris Chung and the last by senior captain Hoffman Hibbett.

“We definitely started playing harder close to the end of the season,” said Chung. “We put in a lot of effort, playing physically as a unit and improving our technique.”

The team ended the season with a league record of 5-6-1.

Thinking back on the season, the boys have acknowledged their weakness in executing their tactics smoothly. Next season, they hope to exert more effort into planning and coordinating as a team now that their technical skills have improved.

“I just wish we had clicked as a team earlier in the season,” said Yen. “We made a solid comeback mid-season when we beat Los Altos, which is ranked second in the league, and Homestead, which is ranked third, but our loss to Mountain View overshadowed our wins.”