On Thursday, Jan. 15, the Archie Williams boys soccer team took on the Marin Catholic Wildcats in an intense game at home. This was the team’s first home game within the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) section. The Falcons fought through a long game, defending their home turf, winning 5-2.
From the first kickoff, the Wildcats had possession and showed aggression going forward, but junior forward Devin Singh quickly stole back the ball and brought it downfield. With a fast assist from Devin, senior forward Sean Chamberlin started the match, scoring a few minutes in. Marin Catholic briefly gained possession, but a fast shutdown by sophomore Babu Virgo led to a steal and pass down the field. Babu emphasized the team’s bond as one of their strongest assets
“I think we’ve built a lot of chemistry over this season through team dinners and a lot of activities that we do together, so I think that really transfers over to the games. […] We know what each other are like and I think we all work well together,” Babu said.
With a fast regain of possession, the Wildcats ran down the field and scored, catching the Falcon defense off-guard, tying the game at 1-1. The Wildcats began to step up their play, maintaining possession and creating multiple scoring chances on the Falcons’ defensive half, but senior goalie Aidan Dunn kept the team in the game with a series of saves. After a through ball from senior Leo Grandmaison, Sean scored a 1v1 against the keeper, shifting the score to 2-1 in favor of the Falcons. Head coach Rene Ayala credited the team’s resilience and mindset after the game.
“Whenever the other team seemed to come back with a goal to make it tighter, we answered right back. We never got down on ourselves. We were always positive and trying to do the right thing,” Ayala said.
Near the end of the first half, Devin set up senior Leo Grandmaison, who scored from close range, bringing the game to 3-1. The Wildcats kept the intensity high, pushing the ball towards the net, but with seconds left, senior Isaac Terry made a quick steal and started the attack for the Falcons. Soon after, junior River Elliot assisted Babu, who put the ball in the net from outside the box, ending the first half 4-1.
The Wildcats came out strong in the second half, winning possession shortly after stopping a goal attempt from Sean. A corner kick from Marin Catholic resulted in a goal, bringing the score to 4-2. The pressure rose as Archie Williams regained possession and brought the ball downfield. Henry played a pass to Devin, who then dribbled around Wildcat’s defense and scored from a tight angle, extending the Falcons’ lead to 5-2.
“When they scored that second goal, it was a wakeup call […] when they actually showed they could make it a game, we turned it up, turned it around, and dominated,” Devin said.
During the final minutes of the game, Archie Williams quickly gained possession and kept the ball near the goal as both teams traded scoring attempts on numerous occasions. Aidan came up with many blocked shots to hold off the Wildcats, and eventually held them off to claim the win.
“We’ve had a lot of recovery days, which means days after games […] it’s going to be a real tough challenge to get things going, but the boys have responded really well. They trust the coaching staff, and they execute what we put in front of them,” Ayala said.
The Falcons will continue to make their way through MCALs as they play their next game Saturday, Jan. 17, at San Marin High School.
