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Rolling the ball, Samuel Nicol ‘28 sends the ball away from the Warrior goal. This started another push against the Tiger’s defense.
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Navigating around, Riley Ang ‘27 looks for a clearer path to advance to the Stony Point goal. He was pivotal in the Warrior attack, scoring the fourth goal for the Warriors.
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Advancing toward the ball, Jean Maldonado ‘28 attempts to intercept the ball, removing the ball from the Tiger possession. Because of efforts like his, the Tigers often lost the ball to the Warriors, forcing the Tigers to defend for most of the game.
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Competing for the ball, Dhruv Pandare ‘27 tries to stall the Stony Point attack. Because of him and other defenders, the Tigers were rarely able to advance to the Warrior goal, often having to retreat back to defend.
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Chasing the ball, Shreyan Khanna ‘27 and Wilman Hawkins ‘28 try to obtain the ball from the Tiger’s possession. Their roles proved essential in pressuring and scoring goals against the Stony Point defense.
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Keeping possession, Diego Garcia ‘29 tries to move back to get more space as Tiger defenders try to intercept the ball. His effort helped disrupt the Stony Point’s attacks, helping the Warriors keep the ball for the majority of the game.
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Attempting a shot, Finley Brenneman ‘28 gets close to the goal trying to find a clear path into the goal. As a midfielder, he was essential in delivering the ball to the offense.
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Pushing the ball, Raman Mojtahed ‘28 attempts to navigate around the Stony Point defenders. His play helped put pressure on the Tigers as he helped keep the ball moving upfield.
The JV orange soccer team played against the Stony Point Tigers on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the Warrior Bowl. The Warriors dominated the Tigers, winning the game by four with a final score of 5-1.
“[Stony Point] was a really strong team,” Padric Barrow ‘28 said. “It was hard to play against them but we still came out with the win, so nothing too hard out there.”
The game began with the ball being passed and intercepted by the Warriors within the opening minutes of the night. Both the Warrior’s and Tiger’s defenses remained strong, until the Warriors punctured through the defense and scored their first goal, delivered by Wilman Hawkins ‘28.
This first goal helped set up the rest of the game as it helped to quickly build up the Warrior’s confidence. Soon after, Hawkins scored a second goal for the Warriors. This marked the beginning of Westwood’s domination against Stony Point, as the Warriors kept possession of the ball for the majority of the game.
“We were able to talk to each other to keep our heads up,” Barrow said. “We gave each other positive feedback.”
While Stony Point made attempts to break through, they were unsuccessful in their shots, with two of them going over the goal. The Tigers’ possession of the ball was often intercepted by the Warriors, allowing the Warriors to add more pressure against the team.
Following halftime, the Tigers switched up their strategy, swapping some of the players in an attempt to see whether this would change the tide of the game. This however, didn’t affect the Warriors’ dominance.
“We knew what they were going to play like,” said Aaditya Gopal ‘28. “We just saw [they changed up their lineup] and pointed it out, and then we changed the way we played.”
Four minutes into the second half, Jean Maldonado ’28 scored a goal, making it 3-0 in favor of the Warriors. While Stony Point made offensive moves with hopes of passing through the Warrior’s defense, the Warriors managed to intercept those passes, making them very costly for the Tigers.
One of the many interceptions resulted in Riley Ang ’27 scoring a fourth goal for the Warriors, just a minute after their third goal. Eventually, a penalty kick delivered by Wilman Hawkins ’28 gave the Warriors their fifth and final goal against the Tigers.
“It’s just about your positions, you have to be ready for the ball and kick in the net,” said Ang. “I didn’t really see [the ball go in], but I knew cause you just know sometimes.”
The Warriors managed to keep the pressure on the Tiger’s side of the field. However, one Tiger’s attempt in the final 20 seconds of the game, finally landed the ball in the Warrior’s goal, closing the game 5-1.
“Our passion for the game changed a lot,” Barrow said. “We were able to work as a team to change the game.”
The Warriors will play next against the Vista Ridge Rangers on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Warrior Bowl.
