On the frigid night of Jan. 11, 2024, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys’ soccer team fought hard against Bishop Garcia Diego High School (Bishop Diego) for an impressive performance ending in a 13-1 win, securing another win for the season.

The game kicked off with a bang as Foothill Tech took a very aggressive approach against Bishop Diego and kept play on their offensive half. After several shots on goal by the Dragons, Nico Flores ‘24 attacked from the back right side and sent the ball into the goal which set the tone for the rest of the game.

Shortly after, the Dragons had a tussle for the ball in center field, but the Dragons regained possession as Flores made a fast break for goal and passed the ball to Merric Bayless ‘24 who let loose an impressive shot which took the score to 2-0.

Bishop Diego fouled the Dragons, allowing Foothill Tech to take possession and Matheus Gamble ‘24 to make a header into Bishop Diego’s goal, the score now 3-0.

With Bishop Diego trailing behind, they picked up the pace and began forcing the ball toward the Dragon’s goalkeeper Adam Al Warhani ‘24. However, Foothill Tech’s goalie made several close saves which ensured their lead would remain intact. Bayless, along with Gamble, made two near back-to-back shots which only further demonstrated the Dragons’ dominance over the field.

Diego Flores Orozco ‘24 also took advantage of Bishop Diego’s defensive gaps as he fired off an impressive shot securing the Dragon’s lead to 6-0 with 10 minutes left in the first half. In the closing minutes, Bishop Diego fouled Foothill Tech, which allowed Jaime Jamond ‘26 a penalty kick which only narrowly missed the goal. But, shortly after, Bayless would find the back of the net as he concluded the first half with a 7-0 lead.

At the start of the second half, hopes ran high as the Dragons were confident they had secured their lead over the competition. Foothill Tech scored two more goals which brought the lead to 9-0.

However, Bishop Diego would not go down without a fight as they managed to score their first point of the game which closed the gap, 9-1.

Later in the second half, Bayless followed by Julian Cartellieri ‘25 would both score two more goals each in an exciting conclusion to the game with the final score of 13-1 with the Dragons victorious.

Bayless would reflect on his performance after ending the game with a double hat-trick, totaling six points, “We came into the game knowing it was going to be … on the easier side, but at the end of the day you still have to score all the goals.”

Head coach Luis Sanchez would also comment on the team’s hard work as well as the mentality of the team, “I think the mentality we had was we needed to go send a message because we are trying to do back-to-back championships and we are fighting for the league champs.”

Foothill Tech’s next game will be against Cate School (Cate) on Jan. 13, 2024, on Foothill Tech’s home field.