On the night of Feb. 11, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys soccer team hosted Beacon Hill (Beacon Hill) in the first round of California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoffs. The Dragons finished the game with a 4-0 victory and secured their spot for the next round.
The Dragons were able to get many shots straight away, as they kept possession of the ball for most of the game. Beacon Hill’s defense started strong and they were able to block two goals at the beginning of the game. Shortly after, Erick Valdez ‘28 was able to score and gave the Dragons a 1-0 lead.
Beacon Hill had a couple of corner kicks to hopefully help them get a shot off, but they were no match for Foothill Tech’s defense. It wasn’t until four minutes left in the half that Gavin Leedy ‘26 was able to score another goal for Foothill Tech, making the score 2-0. Both teams had just gotten one more shot off, but both failed to score, sending them to halftime with a score of 2-0.
“I think overall we played a really good game, even though the team was a little bit lower level than us, but I think we pulled through and we still got that win, so that’s what that matters. ” Jordan Lacson ‘28 said.
The Dragons started off the second half with possession of the ball and had a couple of missed goals, but Brendan Chanin ‘29 was able to run the ball and score for the Dragons and continued the Dragons’ lead, 3-0. After this goal, Foothill Tech quickly regained possession of the ball, but Beacon Hill was able to block the Dragons’ attempts at a goal.
Beacon Hill had a few more opportunities to score, but fell short. The Dragons were able to add another point to their lead with another goal from Valdez. With this, Foothill Tech won the game 4-0.
“We’re going to practice really hard, and we definitely need to work on finishing, for the next game for sure.” Titus Ruiz ‘29.
The Dragons will continue their drive into CIF playoffs round two on Feb. 13.
