On the starry night of Jan. 11, 2024, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls’ soccer team faced off against St. Bonaventure High School (Bonnie) at the Ventura College Sportsplex. Foothill Tech emerged triumphant over Bonnie 2-0, leaving them with a league record of 2-0.
The match started slowly, as both sides pressed each other for possession and control over the ball. Foothill Tech’s head coach Patricia (Patty) Gomez spoke on her team’s match by saying, “They played amazing as a unit, they just worked through struggles. We started off super shaky and they just worked through it. Bonnie was pressing super high but they figured it out as a team. It was great to see.”
With 24 minutes left in the first half, Foothill Tech’s Maddie Wicks ‘26 found herself with an opportunity to make a play, and she capitalized on this chance, which allowed her to score the first goal of the match. After the match, Wicks provided more insight on the goal, stating, “Taylor got the ball in midfield and I was playing the out wide and then I ran across and she slipped me in. Then I took a touch and I thought I was gonna fall because I slipped a little bit. But then I just shot it and it went in.”
The Dragons were not done yet though, as with five minutes left in the first half, Alinah Rodriguez ‘26 chipped the ball over the goal keeper’s head, which put the Dragons up 2-0. Strong defense and offenses allowed Foothill Tech to end the second half up 2-0.
Foothill Tech goalkeeper Addison Fallon ‘25 spoke on the match, confidently stating, “We’ve been working really hard this week in practice and we were able to make the runs and connect a lot better this game and finish two goals, which is really good.” One of the team captains, Taylor Liston ’24, also spoke on how hard the team has been working by stating, “I think we did a great job, especially with our three-ones. We’ve been working a lot during practice with that. So that was great to see.”
Bonnie continued to fight back in the second half, but the Dragons’ defense held strong. Foothill Tech almost found the net on multiple occasions, but when the whistle blew to end the match, the score remained 2-0, which gave the Dragons the win.
When asked how the team could improve, one of the team captains, Cameryn Henuber ‘24, expressed, “I think our team can improve just by talking. We just need to really call for the ball so people know when to pick their head up and when to pass.” Fellow team captain Eva Goncalves ‘25 shared similar thoughts, as she explained, “I think we need a little bit more communication and yeah, just knowing what the other teammate wants on the field.”
The Dragons’ next game will be an away game on Jan. 14, 2024, against the Thacher School, where they hope to progress in their winning endeavors.
