On the evening of Dec. 18, 2024, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys soccer team geared up for a non-league match against Rio Mesa High School (Rio Mesa) at the Ventura College (VC) soccer fields. Even though the Dragons fought with ferocity, Rio Mesa overtook them with their quick feet and communication, besting the Dragons 2-5.
Foothill Tech started the game off strong at kickoff, working their way down the field. Every defensive stance Rio Mesa took seemed to be immediately knocked down by Foothill Tech’s offense. Just five minutes after the match started, Erick Valdez ‘28 evaded the Spartans goalie, sending the ball into the net off of a corner kick.
Despite the quick lead taken by Foothill Tech, Rio Mesa matched the energy on the field, utilizing quick thinking and spatial awareness. As the Spartans warmed up to their competition, the Dragons struggled to combat their offense. During this time, Conor Bursek ‘25 and Ammar Atiah ‘26 announced their presence on the field as they tried to make multiple openings in their opponent’s defense. After six consecutive missed shots on goal, Rio Mesa eventually scored with seven minutes left in the half.
With the score tied 1-1, both teams were adamant in their attempts to assume a lead before halftime. Bursek and Stefan Hubner ‘25 pressured the Spartans by forcing throw-ins and corner kicks in order to keep Rio Mesa at bay. However, the Spartans made a goal with five minutes left in the half, allowing little room for the Dragons to come back. This lead was short lived as a penalty was called on Rio Mesa just outside the goalie box. Valdez scored a goal off of this penalty to even the score to 2-2 as the halftime whistle was blown.
Hubner spoke in reflection on the improvements that need to be made, saying, “We just need to communicate more. A lot of the time it’s just one single player or two players who want to win, or talking the whole time, and the rest of the team just kind of falls silent. If we communicate more, we’ll play better as a team, and it’s shown in the past games.”
With ten minutes to regroup and rest their legs, the Dragons used halftime to strategize. As the whistle blew at the start of the second half, the control of the field shifted to the Spartans. Each time the Dragons closed on goal, they were stopped by Rio Mesa’s defense. The competitive air became electrifying, with multiple penalties made by both teams on the field. Hubner and Bursek ran for every stray ball in an attempt to push it up to their strikers and advance their offense. However, their attempts were stopped as Rio Mesa made a goal, taking the score to 2-3.
Foothill Tech quickly recovered from the Spartan’s goal, with Atiah and Kaizer Castillo ‘28 orchestrating a passing system to maintain possession of the ball. In spite of their efforts, again, the Spartans took hold of the ball making another goal. With little time for Foothill Tech to regain a lead, the Dragons tried to maintain control over the ball in a last-ditch attempt to make a goal. Each one of their shots was either missed or blocked, and they game ended with a loss, 2-5.
As the whistle blew signaling the end of the game, both teams exhibited their sportsmanship and walked off the field with their heads held high. After the match, Atiah was asked his opinions on how they played, and he replied, “I think the first half we played pretty good. We came up with high intensity and played very strong. We definitely had control in the game, but in the second half we definitely got to ourselves, we all got tired.”
The boys soccer team will be playing next on their home field at Ventura College against Cate School on Jan. 23, 2025 with hopes to start the new year off with a win.
