On Wednesday, Jan. 21, the Archie Williams boys varsity soccer team played against the Redwood High School Giants in a Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) game at Redhill Field. The aggressive game led to a long, tense defensive effort from both teams, making the final score 1-1.
Going into the game, Archie Williams was ranked 3rd in the all-MCAL and Redwood 5th. Over the past few weeks, the Falcons had climbed up with seven wins, three losses, and two ties.
The Falcons started off strong despite Redwood having initial possession of the ball. Within the first two minutes of the game, senior team captain Leo Grandmaison scored the Falcons’ first goal. The Falcons remained composed and returned to pushing offensively.
With tension building on the field, the Giants grew more aggressive, earning a yellow card that propelled the Falcons forward and kept the ball up on the Giants’ side of the field. Leading closer to halftime, the team pulled together and continued to head the ball into the goal. However, the Giants’ goalie blocked the ball from junior Henry Miller and tossed it back onto the field and gave it back to Redwood.
Down to the final minutes of the half, Redwood mistakenly had a handball, and the referees overturned the ball to Archie Williams. With the advantage, senior Sean Chamberlin made a free kick, but it ultimately went over the net. The first half ended with the Falcons in the lead and the score 1-0.
The Falcons started the second half with a kickoff, which the Giants took possession of. The Giants dribbled down the field, but the Falcons countered it with a strong line of defense. Senior Silas Eyler passed the ball up the field, and the Falcons began to dominate the field. Junior Hayden Bremer took a header off a Redwood goal kick, maintaining the Falcons’ offensive position.
As the score remained 1-0, Redwood players fought to move up the field and took several shots on goal, which were all saved by Falcon goalkeeper and senior captain Aidan Dunn.
“[Our] defense played well, ” Aidan said. “The midfield had a good day, and the offense was really kicking it, and [next game we can try] putting some more goals away…”
The Falcons kept up a strong defense, heading away balls that came near their goal. Redwood pushed up near the Falcons’ goal, but weren’t able to pass their line of defense. Sophomore Babu Virgo and Sean continuously headed balls out of the goal box.
During the second half, the game shifted, but overall, the Falcons played a hard-fought game and maintained strong work.
“I would say it was more of a defensive game. I mean, only two goals were scored the whole game. Honestly, I think we could have had a couple more, but I think mostly defense dominated,” Babu said.
The Falcons took a corner kick, which ricocheted off the Giants. On the second kick, the ball went straight to Hayden, bouncing off his foot. Hayden was quick to regain control, beating several Redwood players before turning to take a swift shot on goal. The Redwood goalie dove and caught the ball to his stomach.
After the goal kick, junior River Elliot launched the ball in the air across the field to junior Charlie Hinkleman, who took a shot on goal that went above the goal bar and hit the fence.
River came back up the field for a close shot from the right, which the Redwood goalkeeper ran to catch. But the ball bounced off his leg, back to River, who shot the ball right back towards the net to no avail.
Henry took a shot on goal that nearly made it, but hit the crossbar. Still, the crowd was cheering and kept their energy up. Henry went back for a second shot two minutes later, which the Redwood goalie jumped up and caught.
With five minutes left on the clock, the Falcons and the Giants pushed the ball up and down the field until the Giants eventually blew past with two minutes left and scored a goal, ending the game 1-1.
Head Coach Rene Ayala expressed his feelings toward the game’s ending.
“Going through these experiences is gonna make us better in the long run, if we stay positive… I think that’s very important. Just have a good mood throughout the entire game,” Ayala said.
The Archie Williams Falcons will play a non-league game against the Campolindo High School Cougars Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Campolindo campus.
