On Friday, Feb. 2, the Archie Williams boys varsity soccer faced off against the Redwood Giants for AWHS senior night and the last home game of the regular season. The Falcons came off a 4-1 victory against Tamalpais but were unable to knock off the undefeated Giants.
In the first few minutes after kickoff, Redwood was putting pressure on the Falcons defense. The Giants saw an opportunity for a breakaway and were able to score in the ninth minute. Being down one goal already, Archie Williams tried to bounce back but was unable to break down Redwood’s strong defense.
The Giants were hungry for another goal but were unable to get any shots past sophomore goalkeeper, Aidan Dunn. Senior wingers Max Crock and Cole Sullivan led the Falcons offense to secure corner kick opportunities. Unable to find the back of the net, Archie Williams ended the first half down 0-1.
“They were undefeated so I think we saw that and got a little scared, but if we had come on stronger in the first half, it would have been a different game,” Cole said.
The Falcons came back into the second half with more offensive success and were able to put more force on the Giants’ defense. Senior defenders Micah Arnold and Elliot Smith were a strong force in preventing Redwood from gaining any offensive leeway. Archie Williams almost equalized off of a header by sophomore winger Sean Chamberlin, but a Redwood defender cleared the shot.
With the game coming to an end, the Falcons began to go for any shot they could get. They came close to scoring after a shot by junior midfielder Jake Morrison went just over the crossbar. Archie Williams’ defense stayed strong for the remainder of the game, losing 0-1.
“I think we competed and that’s ultimately what you want to do especially against a team like Redwood, but knowing that we can play with a team like Redwood gives us confidence for the postseason,” said head coach Rene Ayala.
The Falcons host their next game on Feb. 10 against the Branson Bulls in the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) playoffs. They hope to continue to stay strong in the postseason and compete well with any team they face.
“We are going to play a really tough Branson team and we’re not taking that for granted at all because we think it’s an honor to play Branson,” Ayala said.
