Boys’ soccer bested 0-2 by Cate in a defensive matchup
On the bright yet cloudy day of Jan. 7, 2023, Foothill Tech boys’ soccer competes in a fierce game against Cate High School. Connor Bursek ‘25 (number 18) skillfully directs the ball away from opposing players who sprint to keep up, moving the ball up the field and toward the goal.
January 15, 2023
On the sunny Saturday afternoon of Jan. 7, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys’ soccer team faced off in a league match against Cate School (Cate). The defensive match left the Dragons walking off the pitch having suffered a 0-2 loss.
To start, Foothill Tech and Cate attacked towards each other’s goals, forcing both goalkeepers to make saves in the early minutes of the game.
A forward push by Cate 15 minutes into the game forced Foothill Tech goalkeeper Jayke Hart ‘23 to make a difficult save to keep the game at 0-0. Cate continued to add pressure which caused Foothill Tech defender Connor Bursek ’25 to make stop after stop with other defensive teammates.
As the game entered the final minutes of the first half, things started to heat up on both sides. The Dragons got a great pass to Santiago Knowlton ‘23, who put up a header that barely missed.
Cate responded with a corner on goal where Hart made another close save to keep the game scoreless heading into the second half.
During the early stages of the second half, the physicality of the game increased. One collision left a Cate player injured, and several minutes later Bursek picked up a yellow card.
In a way we beat ourselves because of the mistakes we made.
— Coach Jeff Saucedo
Eventually, Cate took a point blank shot on goal where Hart fumbled the ball, allowing Cate an easy tap-in to make the game 1-0 Cate.
Shortly after, Foothill Tech really put the pressure on Cate when they fired three shots on goal within a minute, but none found the net.
With three minutes left to play, Cate scored again on a fast break, cementing their lead 2-0 over the Dragons minutes before the final whistle signaled victory.
Goalkeeper Hart spoke on the match, saying, “Overall I think we played a decent game but chemistry is growing overall.”
Foothill Tech then looked to recover before their next match on Tuesday, Jan. 10 against St. Bonaventure High School.
