Boys Soccer lose to Vista Ridge 3-2

Justin Jalomo, Sports Reporter

The boys varsity team lost to Vista Ridge 3-2, putting up a tough fight but coming up short in the end.

“It was a disappointing loss but I thought we worked really hard,” junior Samuel Sutorus said. “It was a very close game throughout the majority of the second half and the first half a little bit. We had a lot of good chances on both ends of the field and we made up for our mistakes but they were the better team that night.”

In the practices leading to the game, they did a lot of long ball practice.

“They like to kick the ball long down the field so we did lots of heading and clearing the ball,” junior Grant Shaffer said.

A strength of the team during the game was how well they kept possession of the ball.

“When we were able to keep possession, we were able to create chances on goal and that’s how we scored our two goals,” Shaffer said.

A weakness of the team was their defense throughout the game.

“We did really good in possessing the ball but when there was a mistake in defense, we would easily get beaten and it would lead to chances for the other team,” Sutorus said.

One thing the team can improve on is getting back up after losses.

“A lot of us were down after the game so we need to be there for each other after the game and pick each other up,” Parks said.

In the game, Parks contributed by playing fast, running around and putting pressure on the back line.

“It felt good to contribute,” Parks said. “I felt in sync with my team.”

Shaffer contributed by getting into the attack, having a few crosses and having one of his throw-ins lead to a goal.

“It felt great to contribute,” Shaffer said. “It was my first assist of the season.”

Sutorus contributed by playing for the win, playing for the man to his left and to his right and getting an assist.

“It was special,” Sutorus said. “Everytime I step on the field, I need to contribute something and when I do, it’s a good feeling afterwards.”

Friday was an off day for the team so they spent that day playing against the JVA team in a scrimmage after school and doing drills during class.

“During class, we’re going to work on many drills involving going to the goal,” Sutorus said. “We need the goals for playoffs and practice our defense so that we can eliminate the opportunities the other team gets.”

The game against Hays is at home tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. and is also senior night.