Boys’ Soccer loses first home game vs. Grace Brethren

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Dragons celebrate after scoring the first goal of the game. Credit: Jason Messner / The Foothill Dragon Press

Katie Denger, Reporter

On the evening of Jan. 8, the Foothill boys’ varsity soccer team lost their match against Grace Brethren with a score of 3-1 due to missed opportunities and unfortunate mistakes in the defense. Despite this, the Dragons never stopped creating their opportunities, allowing the team to keep the game competitive.

When the first whistle was blown, both teams came out with energy, but either team took no shots for the first 10 minutes.

The Dragons began to step up their game after Max Turville ‘21 was fouled, giving Foothill a free kick from the 35-yard line. Even though the kick did not find its way into the goal, the play fueled the Dragons’ momentum and they were able to maintain possession on the Lancers’ half of the field.

This momentum led the Dragons to score their only goal at the 35-minute mark. Mark Spencer ‘19, a senior captain, made a strong cross to Gavin Cattanach ‘21 resulting in a header shot that sailed into the net on the far right side of the goal.

 

Max Turville ’21 attempts to weave around a defender. Credit: Jason Messner / The Foothill Dragon Press

 

Foothill nearly capitalized on several other attempts, but the scoreboard displayed a 1-0 Dragons lead at the end of the first half.

However, the game took a turn for the worse for Foothill in the second half of the match.

After a close scoring opportunity by Elo Contreras ‘20, Grace Brethren bounced back with a shot just above the hands of varsity goalkeeper Luke Shadden ‘21, resulting in the Lancers’ first goal.

The game continued to move back-and-forth on the field with valiant efforts from both teams until the Dragons began to lose some steam.

Shadden proceeded to make three separate saves with 30 minutes remaining in the game. After a fourth save by Shadden, the Lancers were awarded a free kick which was initially headed out by center back, Josiah Jorden ‘20. Grace Brethren eventually recovered the ball for a clean hit right into the upper right corner.

With 22 minutes remaining and a score of 2-1 in favor of the Lancers, Sam Valdez ‘20 received a yellow card for a foul made close to the Dragons’ bench.

 

Gavin Cattanach ’21 throws the ball in. Credit: Jason Messner / The Foothill Dragon Press

The team’s intensity increased as the end of the game grew nearer and, despite the current score, they still held out hope for a possible victory.

Foothill almost succeeded in starting their comeback when Kyle Grenier ‘20 narrowly missed what would have been the second header goal of the night. However, the Lancers scored their third goal shortly after, creating a much more comfortable lead.

Even though the game was close to over, the Dragons remained persistent and had four additional attempts. Two were from free kicks, taken by Max Turville ‘21 and Kyeler Brant ‘20, while the other two were shot in the box by Jacob Girardot ‘20 and Brant, respectively.

Head coach Jordon Points stated that there were many moments in the game where the Dragons “out-possessed and outplayed” their opponent but reiterated that the loss was still frustrating.

Cattanach also felt that the team excelled in “connecting the ball and working [their] way up the field,” but noted that they struggled with their finishing. Valdez followed by saying that they “played pretty hard” overall but they just “slacked off a bit” in the second half.

 

 

The Dragons will compete in their next game on Jan. 10 at home against Cate High School.

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