Boys Soccer Senior Night from The Foothill Dragon Press on Vimeo.

On Jan. 30, the Foothill varsity boys’ soccer team was defeated in their last game of the 2019 season. They faced off against Santa Clara High School for their Senior Night match, but the final score was 2-0 in favor of the Saints.

The Dragons started with the ball, but the Saints were able to level the playing field. Each team made several attempts to gain an advantage, but the opposing defensive lines were able to prevent any goals. Despite a few attacks from the Dragons, the Saints maintained possession in Foothill’s half of the pitch for the first 10 minutes.

Foothill was later able to gain momentum and take the ball up the field, but they couldn’t convert. The Dragons earned a corner kick and a free kick, both taken by Kyeler Brant ‘20, but the score remained 0-0.

It seemed like the stalemate would continue until Santa Clara was able to launch a ball into the net from the 20-yard line. Goalkeeper, Luke Shadden ‘21, came close to stopping it but it was out of his reach.

Foothill stepped up their game and worked harder to catch up to the Saints with another corner kick by Brant and a slide tackle from Calvin Turville ‘19 that stopped Santa Clara from increasing their lead.

The second half began with a kickoff from the Saints, but the Dragons were able to take the ball and advance. After a fight and more opportunities in front of the goal, they were only awarded a free kick after Brant was tripped. Max Turville ‘21 took the kick, but the Saints’ goalkeeper was able to win the ball after a jumble in front of the goal.

Santa Clara then took control of the game and made their way towards the Dragons’ goal, but the defense held and was able to clear the ball more than once.

The Saints were only able to score again after one of their players was fouled by Sam Valdez ‘20. The free kick awarded to Santa Clara after this foul was played into the box and finished with a header shot.

Even though they were behind by two goals, Foothill continued to persevere and bring the ball back in front of Santa Clara’s net.

Shots were taken by Brant, Kyle Grenier ‘20 and Tommy Eris ‘21 but the Saints managed to keep the shutout intact.

The final whistle of the Dragons’ season was blown and the scoreboard read: Santa Clara 2, Foothill 0.

Mark Spencer ‘19 commented on his team’s play by saying that they “started a little flat,” but that “towards the end [they] wanted it more” and  “definitely stepped it up.”

Varsity head coach Jordon Points thought that the team “did well” and agreed with Spencer in saying that in the second half, they “pushed players higher up the field” and “created a lot of chances.”

Before the game began, Foothill celebrated its seniors, Calvin Turville and Spencer. The ceremony consisted of their teammates lining up on either side of the 50-yard line and speeches delivered by Jack Drew, the junior varsity head coach. After the speeches were finished, the seniors took pictures in front of posters with their names alongside their families.

Calvin Turville, looking back on his experiences with the Foothill soccer team, relayed that his favorite memory has been “the team chemistry” and the “circle of trust” within the team.

Points stated that Calvin Turville and Spencer “will be really missed.” He described his senior captains as “great guys” and “humble people.”

“It’s hard to get players like that, who just want to do everything for each other. There is not a selfish bone in their bodies,” he explained.

Even though this is the end of high school soccer for Calvin Turville and Spencer, the team will compete again next season and Points “is happy and proud” of what they accomplished this year.