As the Matadors huddled together before the start of their game on Oct. 24, you didn’t have to hear what they were saying to sense their anticipation and determination. Underneath that excitement, though, there was lingering disappointment from a tough 0-8 loss to Los Gatos High School in their previous home game. But they didn’t let that get to them. Instead, the persevering Matadors came back strong with effective passing and aggressive play to beat HHS 2-0.

According to captain senior Andi Pappas, as teammates and parents alike cheered on the Matadors in their final game as a team on their home field, the supportive atmosphere was one of the reasons for the dominant MVHS win.

“[The support] helped us have a little more fun this time around…and we had a lot of really good talk, especially from our goalkeeper,” Pappas said.

In the first 20 minutes of the game, neither team posed any significant offensive threats, but the first MVHS goal came with 6:40 remaining in the half. Resulting from a short corner inserted by junior Natalie Thé and pushed in by junior Allegra Ziegler Hunts, the goal was the first of many offensive opportunities to come from short corners throughout the game.

Less than two minutes later, another goal was scored by captain senior Janaye Sakkas with about 5 minutes remaining to make the score 2-0. Sakkas saw significant improvements in passing and playing aggressively in this game.

After an eventful first half, the team shifted its focus to defending their lead and did so successfully. There were also two close shots by Sakkas with 27 minutes left and by Ziegler Hunts with 13 minutes remaining. Both attempts, however, were blocked by HHS defenders.

The last time MVHS played HHS, they won 6-0. Despite not capturing as dramatic of a lead as in their previous match-up, the  team was generally satisfied with their performance. Captain junior Mallory Strom was especially proud of how well they played together as a team.

The next home game is against Lynbrook High School at 6:30 p.m.