The Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys soccer team took to the pitch for their first home game of the season under the lights of Ventura College’s Sportsplex on Nov. 25, 2024, to face off against Santa Clara High School (Santa Clara). After 90 minutes of dominant play, Foothill Tech emerged victorious in a decisive victory of 5-0.
After a Santa Clara took the kick off, it seemed like the game was anyone’s to win as the ball was controlled evenly by both teams. This started to change as Foothill Tech turned up the offensive pressure with multiple attempts made on goal from players like Asher Bayless ‘26 and Kaiser Castillo ‘28. Santa Clara’s defense began to crack and Castillo put one past the goalkeeper to take the lead, 1-0.
Foothill Tech took the opportunity to press their early advantage by keeping the pressure on Santa Clara and taking shots whenever they got the opportunity. Another goal was sent into the back of the net by Julian Cartelieri ‘25 immediately after he got substituted into the game, bringing the score to 2-0.
Cartelieri stated, “expectations were pretty high as we slaughtered them last year … as a team, we’re doing a good job forming together and … I think we did pretty good today.”
Meanwhile the combination of Foothill Tech’s defense and Santa Clara’s weaker offense kept the score in the Dragon’s favor. Threats on Foothill Tech’s goal were usually cleared before they even reached the goal box, aside from one attack in which goalkeeper Julian Lopez ‘25 made a crucial save.
Due to a structured defense, the ball remained on Santa Clara’s half and allowed Foothill Tech to continue attempts on goal. Eric Valdez ‘28 connected with the net right before halftime, increasing Foothill Tech’s lead to 3-0.
After the mid-game break, Foothill Tech continued their onslaught as Cartelieri took the ball down the right channel and drilled a shot over the Santa Clara goalkeeper’s head. On a separate drive to goal, Ammar Atiah ‘26 was awarded a penalty kick after being fouled within the penalty box. The kick evadeded the keeper’s hands and flew into the left corner of the net, bringing the score to 5-0.
The remaining minutes started to dwindle and desperate attempts by Santa Clara to get on the board were futile in the face of the Dragon’s defense. The final whistle was blown and Foothill Tech booked their first win of the season, 5-0.
Coach Sam Valdez commented, “We’ve been working hard on lots of different things over the past week … I’m happy with their performance today … They were able to work on the possession, the build up, and lots of good things.”
Foothill Tech’s next game will be against Nordhoff High School (Nordhoff) on Dec. 3, 2024, where they hope to build off this win.
