On Nov. 30, the Archie Williams varsity boy’s soccer team took on the San Rafael High School Bulldogs. The game took place under the lights at San Rafael High School. Both teams displayed their defensive strength in a low scoring battle. The Falcons let one goal through and could not land a shot in the back of the net, suffering a 0-1 loss to the Bulldogs. 

As the whistle blew to start the first half, the Falcons traded possession with the Bulldogs. San Rafael scored the first and only goal of the game after many missed shots from the Falcons. The Falcons fought relentlessly but were still unable to score in the first half. They transitioned into the second half with San Rafael still leading the game 0-1.

“Today we played a good team that exposed a lot of things we need to work on,” said head coach Rene Ayala.

Although the Falcons fell short in the first half, it didn’t stop them from being diligent in the second half, managing to keep the Bulldogs from scoring again. The Falcons believe they need to strengthen and improve their mid-field coordination to win future games.

“Connecting through the defensive midfield, just getting it up front a lot more, [and] putting pressure on the backline,” said sophomore goalie Aidan Dunn.

In the second half, the Falcons struggled with the defensive pressure from the Bulldogs. San Rafael kept them from scoring several times and pushed the Falcons to fight hard.  The Falcons put up a tough fight with near goals from seniors Max Crock and Cole Sullivan. The team worked together and kept the Bulldogs at bay, but the goal from the first half determined the game. Although the outcome was not in the Falcons’ favor, they have plenty of season left to achieve their goals.

“Work together as a team and have each other’s backs,” Cole said. “[Our goal] is to win [games] and win MCAL finals.”

The Falcons will battle Piner High School at Redhill field on Dec. 5 at 3:30 p.m. to add to their pre-season games.