-
Receiving the ball, Samuel Givens ‘27 jumps as Mustang players surround him. He was important in putting pressure on the Mustangs throughout the game.
-
Searching for a way past the Mustang defender, Raman Mojtahed ‘28 stops advancing. He was very close to scoring a goal for the Warriors.
-
Pushing the ball, Diego Garcia ‘29 moves the ball away from the Warrior goal. Even after scoring the first goal, the Warriors continued the pressure on the Mustangs in attempts of scoring another goal.
-
Attempting to steal the ball, Jean Maldonado ‘28 tries to prevent the Mustangs from reaching the Warrior side of the field. The Warriors often intercepted the ball whenever the Mustangs launched an attack.
-
Dribbling the ball, Jaxon Balderach ‘28 goes around Mustang defenders. This started another Warrior attack on the Mustangs.
-
Reaching for the ball, Dhruv Pandare ‘27 tries to obtain the ball from the Mustangs. He was essential in limiting Mustang opportunities in attacking.
-
Moving forward, Finely Brenneman ‘28 looks for an opening through the Mustang defense. His play helped the Warriors control the game.
-
Maneuvering the ball, Antoni Banka ‘27 avoids the Mustang player to maintain Warrior possession of the ball. He scored one goal during the game.
The JV orange soccer team played a district game against the Manor Mustangs on Friday, Feb. 21 at the Warrior Bowl. After putting the Mustangs under pressure throughout the game, the Warriors concluded the game winning 2-0.
“We lost the Manor the first time, so it was a revenge game,” Jaxon Balderach ‘28 said. “We just wanted to get back and just play hard.”
The Warriors started the game off strong, keeping the ball on the Mustang’s side for a large portion of the first half. When the Mustangs did gain possession of the ball, their attacks were quickly suppressed by the Warrior defense, often being intercepted.
While the Mustangs were able to hold off the Warrior attacks for a majority of the first half, Riley Ang ‘27 broke through and scored the Warrior’s first goal of the game, bringing the score to 1-0.
“[When I took the shot], I actually thought I missed,” Ang said. “I went backwards, turned around, and I heard the crowd, [and was surprised.]
After halftime, the Mustangs began to attack the cage more, helping them get closer to the Warrior’s goal and giving them more shot opportunities than they created in the first half. However, despite the Mustangs desperate attempts, the Warriors’ defense was able to keep Manor successfully scoreless.
“We watched film earlier, [so] we knew what they were going to do for the most part,” Balderach said. “They just had a couple good guys up front, but we dealt with it.”
The Warriors continued fighting, making sure to keep the pressure and control the game. In the final two minutes of the game, Antoni Banka ‘27 scored a second goal for the Warriors, erasing Manor’s hope for a tie as the score was brought to 2-0.
“It was a great match because we lost to Manor in the first round, and it feels good to get that revenge, especially at home,” said Banka. “We just had a set plan and I feel like we just executed it very well.”
The Warriors will play the Round Rock Dragons next on Tuesday, Mar. 3, at the Warrior Bowl.
