Varsity boys soccer defeats Pacifica High School with a close score of 3-2

On Jan.14, the varsity boys came onto the field ready to play the Pacifica High School Spartans for their third pacific view league game of the season. With two VHS soccer team players injured, senior Jorge Ruiz (number 18) suffering from a concussion, and senior Daniel Carbajal (number 13) suffering from a muscle ache, the Cougars had to step up their game to beat Pacifica. 

Right from the kickoff, the Cougars stood a strong front against the Spartans. Gameplay stayed on the Spartans’ half of the field which resulted in senior Miguel Lopez (number 10) to scoring the first goal of the game, setting the scoreboard 1-0. 

Senior captain David Kelley mentioned his favorite moment in the game, “The moment that another captain of the team, Miguel Lopez (number 10) scored the opening goal of the game, not to mention the excitement of that being his first goal of the season.” Kelley also voiced his personal goals for the season, “[I want] to continually play with as much heart as I can manage to put into every single game and always put positivity into the team to keep them motivated day in and day out.”

The game carried on with no clear dominant force. Several shots were made on the Ventura goal, but Ventura’s defense, including goalkeeper senior Ivan Rodriguez (number 1), blocked these attempts from the Spartans. Ventura made several shots on the Pacifica goal, but couldn’t get one in. Despite not

Going into the second half, the Cougars were still up 1-0. Only two minutes into the second half, senior Miguel Lopez (number 10) scored his second goal of the game for Ventura, putting them up 2-0. After Lopez scored the second goal, gears began to shift on the Spartan’s side. 

The Spartans harnessed a much more aggressive gameplay than in the first half and applied much more pressure to Ventura’s defense. Not much time passed after Ventura’s second goal until Pacifica scored their first goal of the game, making the scoreboard 2-1. Both teams fought for the ball hard and there was an even amount of gameplay on both sides of the field. 

Tension kicked in, aggression grew, and several penalties were called. The Cougars overcame this and found a crack through Pacifica’s defense, leading senior Danny Gutierrez (number 9) to score the third goal for the Cougars and having a solid lead of 3-1. Despite being down two goals, Pacifica still played with heart and were an even match for the Cougars. 

With less than ten minutes left in the game, Pacifica scored their second and final goal of the game, making the final score 3-2. The Cougars prevailed against Pacifica, sending the Spartans back to the arena without a win.

Junior Luke Chapman (number 26), a defender, commented about the win, “I think our team played really well, even though they came back the second half, we were still able to take the win. Our defense was good and so was our midfield, but I think when our offense put pressure on [Pacifica], that is what led to our goals.” Chapman also spoke on how the season has been going for the boys, “Our season is going super well so far, we are second in the league so I’m pretty happy about it.”

Kelley, mentioned earlier, also spoke on things for the team to work on, “The main thing that our team needs to work on is consistency because we all know that we have the potential to be a top team in the league, but when we play well it’s because everyone on the team is feeling good and if everyone on the team is feeling good and is focused, then the consistency will come and I think we will surprise a lot of people.” 

The boys still have some season left to work on what Kelley mentioned, and are looking for a spot in CIF, “We want to make it to CIF and go all the way through so that we have a chance to win it because we’ve gotten up to the first game of CIF in the past with this coach but we want to sweep through all of the teams that make it.” Support your Cougars on Feb. 4th at home against Buena, their last league game of the season. Go Cougars!