On a disappointing night, the buzzer sounded on a 4-1 win for the McNeil Mavericks (1-0) over the Westwood Warriors (0-1) at Maverick Stadium, Jan. 23. The game seemed to be in the Warrior’s favor early, but a barrage of goals through both halves led to an overwhelming loss.

The Warriors started off quick by earning a free kick within the first 10 minutes right outside of the box. Even though the shot was blocked, a rebound strike by Pol Marza ‘23 went in to give the Warriors an early lead. 

“At that moment I was just thinking about the team and how hard we worked to get into that position,” Marza said. 

 Westwood kept pushing for a bigger advantage and kept possession effectively. The team connected on their passes, and the midfielders controlled the game, including Ricardo Urratia ‘25, who was playing in his first-ever district game. 

“I felt a lot of pressure because I was starting the game,” Urratia said, “but it was the most incredible feeling ever.”

The Warriors kept battling, but conceded a goal from a corner kick. The Warriors created plenty of chances to score, including a shot from Braden Wilson ‘24 that barely missed the target. Although this did not deter them, McNeil then scored a goal to give them the lead only a few seconds before halftime. 

“Although we were happy with the early lead, we knew the game hadn’t been put away,” Suhaas Patil ‘23 said, “especially since it wasn’t a goal off of open play.”

Coming out of the break, the Warriors looked for an equalizer, but were met with distaste as McNeil scored a third goal quickly. As the game went on, players became more careless, and several yellow cards were handed out. Matters got even worse however, as McNeil delivered a crushing blow with another goal 10 minutes before the end of the game. 

The Warriors opened the season on a disappointing note but have plenty to look forward to. The play throughout was exceptional, and with some time to recover the Warriors should be back up and running. 

Westwood takes on Vista Ridge next Jan. 25 at the Warrior Bowl.