On Tuesday, Dec. 5, Archie Williams boys varsity soccer took on the Piner High School Prospectors at Redhill Field in their first home game of the season. The Falcons were coming off back-to-back losses, but that didn’t stop them from prevailing over the Prospectors 3-1.
The game started with the Falcons’ offense pushing forward aggressively and senior captain Cole Sullivan secured an early goal for the Falcons. The Prospectors began to counter but were unable to break down the stout Falcon defense. Sophomore goalie Aidan Dunn was a strong defensive force pulling out several saves throughout the game.
The Archie Williams offense kept being aggressive with many goal attempts. The Falcons were able to score after Cole provided an assist to senior winger Max Crock, making it a 2-0 ball game.
“We did well finishing in the final third [the part of the field nearest to the opponent’s goal], that has been a problem for us lately, so when we got down in front of the goal, we finished well, but could still be improved,” said Cole.
Still in the first half, the Falcons were hungry for more goals and were able to score yet again after sophomore winger Sean Chamberlin headed a long throw-in from Max past the outstretched Piner goalie. As the half was coming to an end, the Prospectors were still looking to get on the scoreboard. The Falcons’ defense stayed strong as the Prospectors put a free kick and two corner kicks into the box right before the end of the half. The half ended with the Falcons comfortably in front 3-0.
The Falcons gained more possession of the ball over the Prospectors, and despite being unable to score, they demonstrated good ball work and were able to weave through the Prospectors’ defense. However, the Prospectors were given a penalty kick in the last few minutes of the game and were able to score finally, ending the game 3-1.
“I thought we were composed. Our offensive line did an outstanding job and our goalkeeper was just amazing at keeping us in the game. When you see the scoreboard, you see 3-1, but it could have been a lot different than that,” head coach Rene Ayala said.
The Falcons play their next game on Friday, Dec. 15 against Sonoma Valley High School. They look to strengthen their record and to secure another strong win to further their chances throughout the season.
“I would have liked to see more goals. I thought we created enough opportunities to score a lot more, but it’s tough to score in soccer and I think this gave us confidence to continue to do the right thing,” Ayala said.
