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Blocking his opponent, Caleb Fagan ‘25 positions himself to gain possession of the ball. Fagan was in the starting lineup and was an essential player who was always open for a pass.
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Nearly colliding, Charles Walker ‘27 battles for ball possession with two Dragon players. The game was very physical, and many players were fouled throughout.
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Sending the ball through the air, Ishaan Saini ‘26 kicks it across the field and away from his opponents.
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Eyes scanning for an open teammate, Jack Cox ‘26 readies himself to pass the ball.
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With his team close behind, Kaz Seyhoon ‘26 takes the ball across the field.
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Going head to head with a Round Rock player, Rahul Kuthiala ‘25 races to take the ball as it goes up the field.
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Throwing himself at the ball, Ricky Urrutia ‘25 reaches his foot to get the ball before his opponent.
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Acknowledging the applause, Romir Jain ‘25 waves as his name is announced before the game. Round Rock was a tough team to beat in the past, so players had to be ready and focused. “It’s all about [your] mentality. It means going in full effort in every single play and not giving up [for] the full 80 minutes,” Jain said.
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Fighting for the ball, Valentin Lobos ‘26 uses skilled footwork to try and steal the ball away from his opponent.
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Dribbling the ball, Victor Pineda ‘25 looks for a way around his opponent. Pineda was an essential part of the team during the game, always ready to help a player in need.
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Facing tough competition against the Round Rock Dragons, the varsity boys soccer team tied 0-0 at their fifth district game on Friday, Jan. 31. In past years, Round Rock had been a difficult team to beat, but the Warriors were confident going into the game.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a favorable outcome against this team,” Romir Jain ‘25 said. “With our current form and chemistry, we really do think that we can at least change the narrative today. I think technically and physically we have it, so it’s now more on how we can work together to defeat such a good team. We’re going to continue to believe in each other, we’re going to trust every single time we give each other the ball. We’re one hell of a team and we’re going to continue playing that way.”
Westwood started off with the ball, leading the way for a pass to Rahul Kuthiala ‘25, giving the Warriors offensive possession. In the first few minutes of the game, the team was able to stay on offense with plenty of headbutts and slide-tackles. Soon after the Dragons took their first shot of the night, the Warriors started a game-long streak of successful saves, as Zach Shaddock ‘25 caught the ball out of the air, making it clear that Westwood was going to give the Dragons a run for their money.
The game took an unexpected aggressive turn as players started to go down injured in an attempt to gain possession of the ball. With this more physical turn, the referees began to deal with more and more pushback from parents and coaches. As the Dragons and the Warriors equally gained and lost possession of the ball, the first half ended uneventfully at 0-0.
The moment the second half started, it was apparent that both teams were more motivated to give it their all. The half was riddled with numerous attempted shots from both teams, but neither goalie allowed them in. The game continued to ramp up in intensity as boys from both teams were getting fouled, increasing the jeers from the stands, eventually resulting in parents arguing with the referees’ calls, yelling, “Where’s the card!”
The peak of the game occurred when Round Rock scored a goal, looking like the game would take a turn for the worse for Westwood. However, just as the scoreboard changed to 1-0, the referees called an unsportsmanlike conduct foul against the Dragons, taking Round Rock’s point off the board. The call resulted in unsportsmanlike boos from Round Rock spectators and obvious frustration from the Dragon coaches and players.
As the end of the game neared, both teams were determined to get the game winning point. The referees made even more calls against the Dragons, resulting in both a yellow and red card being pulled on their players. Possession of the ball went back and forth for the remainder of the game, with more impressive saves from each team. As the clock ran out, the tie was set in stone and the players walked off the field in exhaustion from the intensity of the game.
“We played very well today, and had a lot of chances [to score] but we didn’t. This is the best team I have seen in the last few years [and I am very proud of how we played],” Victor Pineda ‘25 said.
The Warriors will head to Stony Point to take on the Tigers on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m.
