Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 marked the first round of California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoffs for the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls’ soccer team and would be the final game of their season. The team faced Thousand Oaks High School (Thousand Oaks) which is ranked 21st in California and took a 1-4 loss.

After Foothill Tech closed out their season ranked first in Tri-Valley Athletic League play with a record of 8-1-1, the Dragons looked to carry their efforts into the postseason.

The opening minutes of the game foreshadowed Thousand Oaks’ unwavering offensive power as they kept constant pressure against Foothill Tech’s defense. However, goalkeeper Addison Fallon ‘25 fended off multiple chances from Thousand Oaks and kept the score at 0-0. Despite her efforts in goal, in the 29 minute of the game, Thousand Oaks broke the scoreless tie to take the score to 0-1, Foothill Tech down.

In the closing minutes of the first half, Thousand Oaks capitalized on another chance to extend their lead to 2-0. As the halftime whistle was blown, Foothill Tech’s players looked to make adjustments to get back into the game and come out even stronger.

As play resumed in the second half, Shea Stevenson ‘26 stopped an attack in the box with a tackle. Subsequently, Thousand Oaks was awarded a penalty kick where they scored their third goal of the game. Shortly after, Thousand Oaks scored once again, widening their lead to 4-0.

With a mere eight minutes remaining in the game, Taylor Liston ‘24 broke away from Thousand Oaks’ defense and scored, the crowd cheering at the last-minute action. Despite this, the team lost the game 4-1 and were eliminated from CIF play.

Liston described that the team played, “a timid first half, but picked up intensity towards the end of the game.”

With the loss, the 2023-24 winter season came to an end for Foothill Tech. “I’m going to miss everyone getting hype before each game,” explained Liston.

Although the season ended with a loss, it promised a hopeful future for next year’s Dragons where they hope to continue their dominance in league play and make it even further into the playoffs.