On Tuesday, Dec. 10, the Archie Williams boys varsity soccer team faced the Terra Linda High School Trojans. A chilly day with clear skies, both teams came ready to play hard for the win. Despite a strong effort from the Falcons, they lost 4-3 in a close match.
The match began with both teams battling it out. Terra Linda’s first goal came after a shot hit the crossbar, rebounded, and a Terra Linda player kicked it into the net. Archie Williams responded well, with junior goalie Aidan Dunn making crucial saves to keep the score 0-1.
The Falcons kept up the energy and scored three more goals in the first half, taking a 3-1 lead. The energy from the bench was high, as Archie Williams seemed to be in control of the match.
However, Terra Linda didn’t back down. Just before halftime, the Trojans answered with a quick goal to bring the game to 3-2. Not long after the second half started, the game was tied at 3-3.
Throughout the rest of the second half, the two teams fought hard on both sides of the field. As time on the clock was running out, the Trojans connected with one final goal to take the lead 3-4. The game ended with a free kick from Archie Williams, but senior midfielder Jake Morrison missed, and Terra Linda secured the win.
“We started off really strong, got two goals up, but let them kind of get back in the game. We should have put the game away earlier, but it was a good result overall. [I’m] hoping for better results on the weekend,” Aidan said.
The Falcons’ second-half defense allowed the Trojans to fight back into the game, leading to the eventual loss for the Falcons. With the Trojans dominating possession for most of the game, they found the breakthroughs needed to secure the win leading to an impressive comeback.
“For the majority of the game, we had the better of the play, but in this sport, if you don’t put goals away when you have the chance, you open the door for the other team. I give credit to Terra Linda. They could’ve easily given up when it was 3-1, but they came back” said Falcons varsity boys soccer head coach Rene Ayala.
The game against Terra Linda was the Falcons’ first home game in the season. Senior forward Willy Finley believes that since the match was still one of their firsts, they have time to recover.
“It was a tough loss, but [it’s] early in the season… A couple of tough goals, but their offense was really good. We did well in the beginning, but we missed a few chances, and our defense got tired, which led to their late goals,” William said.
Despite the loss, the Falcons showed resilience and will carry the lessons learned into their next matches. The next Falcons varsity boys soccer game will take place Friday, Dec. 13, at 3:30 p.m. in Sonoma Valley against the San Rafael High School Bulldogs.
“I’m confident that the boys will come back next game and play better. We just need to play all 80 minutes,” Ayala said.
