VARSITY BOYS SOCCER CHARGES
ON
By Alisa Walsh
If tying is said to be like
kissing your sister, the varsity boys soccer team may be facing
a problem. With a record of 1 win, 3 losses, and a whopping 5
ties, it is obvious that the Warriors have faced many unfortunate
events. From questionable referees to horrible field conditions
to unlucky goals, the young men have seemed to come up with the
short end of just about every stick. Playing in the West Catholic
League is no piece of cake, however. With both Archbishop Mitty
and Bellarmine ranked nationally, the Warriors found themselves
competing against some of the best teams in the country.
The season officially began on December 9 with a game against
the Lancers of Saint Francis. Due to various injuries and the
absence of specific players, the Warriors unfortunately came out
with a 1-0 loss. A short two days later, the team traveled to
the University of San Francisco to face Saint Ignatius. Twenty-eight
minutes into the game, senior Ryan Corry let loose one of his
perfectly placed free kicks to the feet of senior teammate Chris
Zambataro. Patiently waiting at the penalty spot was junior Peter
Osuna, who expertly slid the ball past SI’s keeper to advance
the score to 1-0. Unfortunately, the Wildcats answered the goal
late in the second half with an amazing shot from the six yard
box.
Tie number four of the season came against the Mitty Monarchs
on December 14. Down 1-0 at halftime, the Warriors were faced
with an uphill battle. Determined not to let one goal get in the
way, Corry took advantage of his rocket shots and expert free
kicks and blasted a goal to the back of the net, tying the score
1-1. Minutes later, Mitty counter attacked and was rewarded with
a goal. With only eight minutes of play remaining, junior soccer
star Jeff Coggan fearlessly volleyed the ball past the reach of
Mitty’s keeper for a final score of 2-2. Coach Donny Fugate
said about the game, “I think the boys showed well in that
second half. If we can believe in ourselves enough to string
80 minutes of Valley Christian soccer together, we’ll start
to win.”
Finally, a break for the Warriors came their way when they faced
Sacred Heart Cathedral and came out with a 2-0 win. Scoring began
with a cross from Coggan to Zambataro who one touched the ball
straight into the net. The second half brought about an expert
mixture between Coggan and junior Austin Keeling, with Coggan
ending the play with a goal. With brick wall Ben Hansen for a
goal keeper, it is no wonder SHC was unable to score. Due to a
questionable foul in the box, Sacred Heart was awarded a penalty
kick. Hansen’s sheer intimidation and superior keeper skills
was too much for the opponent, and Hansen made an incredible diving
save to push the ball off the post and out of bounds, leaving
the score 2-0.
The first game of the 2005 year was played on January 4 the game
was against top ranked Bellarmine Bells. The Warriors fought extremely
hard but came out with a loss of 1-0. Due to harsh weather conditions,
the boys were not able to play another game until January 12,
where they faced Riordan at home. The Crusaders broke out and
scored first, but were not ahead for long. Junior Joey Strkyer
got his first goal of the season from yet another assist by Corry.
Thanks in part to excellent defending by senior captain Garrett
Ruiz and an uncountable number of Warriors shots that deflected
off the posts, the game ended with a score of 1-1, tie number
five. Ruiz, a captain of this year’s team, has done exceptionally
well in past games. Coach Aleks Vranicic stated about the top
notch player, “In his senior year as a captain, Ruiz has
distinguished himself as the best defensive player in the WCAL.
There has been no offensive player that has been a match for Garrett
Ruiz!”
An outstanding victory came when the Warriors faced the Lancers
of Saint Francis once again. Andrew Smith began the scoring with
an incredible left footed shot to the upper V. With the momentum
going their way, the Warriors did not let up and came up with
a corner kick from Coggan to Zambataro who placed it perfectly
in the left corner. As they say, ‘the key to a best offense
is a good defense,’ and Valley’s defense proved to
be superior. Corry, Ruiz, Hansen, and McElhatton shut down Saint
Francis completely and ended the game with no goals against. The
third goal came from Coggan just inside the eighteen yard line
from an assist from Stryker, ending the game with a Warrior victory
of 3-0.
The season continued to go well as games followed resulted in
a 2-1 win over SI and a 3-3 tie with Junipero Serra. Now standing
4-4-6, the boys surge forward in their quest for the CCS title.
Be sure to come out and support them on their way to the championships!
