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Preparing to stop the ball, Rahul Kuthiala ’25, Kaz Seyhoon ’26, Caleb Fagan ’25, and Nico Hamelin ’27 form a defensive wall. Multiple penalty kicks were awarded to both teams throughout the game.
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Looking down at the ball, Santiago Pena ’27 receives a pass from his teammate. The team utilized effective communication skills to work together during the game.
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Lunging towards the ball, Ishaan Saini ’26 and Zach Shaddock ’25 stop the Vipers from scoring. Vandegrift had many attempted shots throughout the game, keeping the Warriors busy on defense.
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Reaching out his hands, Victor Pineda ’25 helps up his teammate Rahul Kuthiala ’25. The boys always encourage and support each other when the game gets tough.
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Hands out to catch the ball, Zach Shaddock ’25 prepares to save an attempted shot by Vandegrift.
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With the Vipers in pursuit, Ricky Urrutia ’25 goes for the ball. The game was a tough match, and the Warriors had to give their best effort.
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Standing together, the Warriors put their hand on their hearts for the national anthem. After the team is announced and the anthem plays, the game begins.
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Just before the half begins, the team huddles together to get focused and ready to play.
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Facing a difficult opponent, the varsity boys soccer team lost their six-game winning streak to the Vandegrift Vipers in their seventh district game on Friday, Feb. 7. After a hard-fought game with many close saves and high-intensity moments, the Warriors lost 3-1.
“It’s going to be a tough game. Vandegrift is always a smart and talented opponent and they’re looking good this season,” Noah Revelett ‘26 said. “We’ve been working on implementing some new buildup strategies, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Vandegrift kicked off the game and with a quick interception, the Warriors took control of the ball. But, soon taking it back, the Vipers began a series of back and forths between both teams. Warrior goalkeeper Zach Shaddock ‘25, was continuously put to the test throughout the first half as the Vipers attempted shot after shot. However, after many successful saves from Shaddock, the Vipers were able to sneak one through and got their first point of the night. The rest of the half was full of slide tackles, heightened communication between the boys, and penalties awarded to both teams. Frustration from the Warriors grew as the Vipers got in another shot, before it was ruled as invalid due to an offsides penalty. As the end of the first half neared, anticipation grew, ending in an exciting goal by Rodrigo Garcia ‘26 who tied up the game 1-1.
“For me, the highlight of the game has to be my goal,” Garcia said. “It’s one of my favorite ones I’ve scored and was a special moment for me since I recently came back from injury.”
The second half started off with more attempted shots from both teams, but neither goalie let them in. As the half continued, the ref was kept busy, pulling yellow cards and calling fouls on both the Vipers and Warriors. After another devastating goal by the Vipers, the Warriors took the quick break from playing to meet off the field with Coach Chris Hellums for some last minute advice and coaching before the game was over. The boys put up an earnest effort for the rest of the time, but the final seconds ended in a lucky shot from Vandegrift across the field to end the game 3-1.
“The game obviously didn’t go how we would’ve liked it to, and it would have been a very important win, but we’re ready to bounce back next round,” Garcia said. “It’s just made more learning opportunities that we’ll take into our next game.”
The Warriors’ next home game will be on Tuesday, Feb. 18 against Cedar Ridge at the Warrior Bowl.
Owen Greenberg • Feb 18, 2025 at 12:56 pm
Close enough, welcome back William Shakespeare I was brought to TEARS reading this