On the chilly afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 6, the 0-1 Archie Williams girls soccer team faced the 2-0 Alhambra High School Bulldogs in a non-league game at home. While the game was hard-fought and competitive to the end, the Falcons could not come away with the victory, losing 1-2 to the Bulldogs.
Both teams would come out of the gates firing on all cylinders, with possession of the ball going back and forth due to hard-nosed, physical play. In the first half, Archie Williams would come close to scoring several times, putting immense pressure on Alhambra’s goal. The Bulldogs would have a hard time inbounding the ball in the first half, with juniors Ainsley Sullivan and Elsa Hunt intercepting multiple inbound passes.
Head Coach Rey Nagaoka emphasized Ainsley as an impact player throughout the game.
“I think Ainsley battled really well today. She ended up getting an assist in the first half, and she was putting her body on the line and connecting some really nice passes and all that. I think she was great today,” Nagaoka said.
After prolonged pressure, Archie Williams would finally break through Alhambra’s defense. Junior Ella Wolff received the ball on a pass from Ainsley and broke away from Bulldogs defenders, finishing the sprint with the first goal of the game. This would put the Falcons up 1-0 in the closing moments of the first half, with the score remaining the same until the end of the half.
After halftime, both teams would come out with renewed energy, continuing the physical battle. Fouls would unfortunately catch up to the Falcons, with two penalty kicks resulting in goals for the Bulldogs. Senior goalkeeper Gigi Richer thinks the penalties were the main reason for the game getting out of hand, but believes the Falcons played well despite the fouls.
“The fouls were what got us. If they didn’t have any [penalty kicks] we would have won. It was an aggressive game, and we all played great. We got lots of possessions, good passes, good plays,” Gigi said.
Archie Williams would continue to fight until the end, with a last-minute shot on goal narrowly missing the net and hitting the crossbar. Unfortunately, the effort would not be enough, and the Falcons would lose 1-2 to the Bulldogs. Nagaoka had high praise for the girls despite the tough loss.
“Actually, I think the girls played really well today, they battled all the adversity that was handed to them, and I’m really proud of them for that. There are little moments in the game that could change the outcome, we hit the crossbar at the very end of the game. I think it’s just a game of little details that didn’t go our way, and that’s just how it is sometimes,” Nagaoka said.
Senior Stella Hayes believes Alhambra’s aggression was a problem for Archie Williams, but emphasized that the Falcons played a good game overall.
“I think we played well. I think there were some circumstances out of our control, but we battled hard, and we stayed strong. It was just an aggressive team, and I think the game was getting a little out of hand,” Stella said.
This game put the Falcons at 0-2 on the season. They look to regain their footing against the Pinole Valley High School Spartans in a non-league matchup at home on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 3:15 p.m.
amanda • Dec 10, 2025 at 11:22 AM
I scor Ed!