Under the lights on Jan. 9, 2025, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys soccer team hosted The Thacher School (Thacher) at Ventura College for an exciting matchup. After two halves of intense play, the Dragons emerged victorious with a commanding 3-0 win.
The game started as Thacher received the kickoff, but the match quickly turned into a battle for control over the ball. Both teams displayed solid ball control in the opening minutes, but it became clear that Foothill Tech would be in command of the game. The Dragons made many attempts on goal by players like Erick Valdez ‘28 and Kaizer Castillo ‘28 as the Foothill Tech defense stifled Thacher’s attacks and allowed for the Dragon offense to stay in control.
The Dragons’ offensive attacks were relentless, and it was only a matter of time before they broke through. After a well placed corner kick, Dylan Files ‘26 sent the ball into the back of the net to take the lead 1-0.
Following another Foothill Tech drive, there was a brief pause in the match after Asher Bayless ‘26 suffered an ankle injury after a rough side tackle. The penalty on Bayless took place in the goal box, awarding Foothill Tech a penalty which did not hit its mark.
Foothill Tech did not let up the pressure in the second half as more attempts were made on goal. Castillo succeeded on one of these attempts after a well executed play which increased the Dragon’s lead to 2-0.
Following some back and forth play, Foothill Tech was given another opportunity to score. Valdez was awarded a free kick which narrowly missed the goal but Ammar Atiah ‘26 was able to butt the ball in with his head further extending the lead to 3-0.
Atiah commented on his performance, stating, “I did miss a penalty kick … but I redeemed it and got two assists on goal.”
Thacher started ramping up their attempts on goal as the clock started to wind down. However, the Dragon’s backline proved impenetrable with multiple steals and clears from players such as Connor Bursek ‘25, Ronan Murphy ‘25 and Files. Goalkeeper Julian Lopez ’25 also stepped up with some impressive saves, including one spectacular stop that kept Thacher off the board.
Files commented on the defense’s performance, “I think we did well, we kept a clean slate … we could play a little more cohesively but overall it was good.”
Despite Thacher’s best efforts to close the gap, Foothill Tech’s defense stood strong, denying multiple attempts on goal and protecting their commanding lead. As the final whistle blew, the scoreboard reflected the Dragon’s dominant play which awarded them a 3-0 victory.
After the game, Coach Sam Valdez praised the team’s performance, stating, “It was going to be a difficult one today, you know, coming back from break but … I’m really happy with their performance today. We worked on a couple different new things that we were able to implement today.”
Foothill Tech’s next challenge will be an away game versus Bishop Diego High School on Jan. 14, 2025, where they aim to build on the momentum from this dominant performance.
