Co-reported with Vivian Chiang.
The girls chatted in groups as they went through basic stretches and warm-ups. But as the sound of the referee’s whistle filled the air, so did the tension and anticipation. As sophomore Riya Khilnani pointed out, they were expecting a difficult game against LAHS.
“They’re at the high end of the table ranking wise, but we thought we had a good chance,” Khilnani said. “We were doing pretty well the first half, but the second half we let it all go.”
The first half mostly took place in mid-field, with a few close calls for the Matadors. MVHS had an opportunity to score through a foul kick at one point, but LAHS’ strong defense managed to turn the table, ultimately scoring the only goal of the first half.
The girls took a quick break at half time. Coach DJ Driscoll gave them a few words of encouragement and it was time to start again.
LAHS charged down the far side of the field, flanked by Matadors on either side. An LAHS player tapped the ball closer to MVHS’ goal, where she was met by goalie sophomore Gabrielle Campbell.
Campbell focused on the ball and dove toward it, saving the team. However, because the ball never left this half of the field, Campbell failed to block shots at the goal that came soon after.
Sophomore Gabby Campbell dives down to save a shot from an incoming LAHS player in the first half
An LAHS player shot and scored the team’s second goal of the game. Within the next two minutes, they used the same pattern to score again, making the score 3-0. To galvanize their team, the MVHS players call out to each other on the field.
“It’s not over!”
“C’mon, 30 minutes left!”
Despite the Matadors’ supportive comments to each other, the Eagles ended the game leading 5-0.
Senior team captain Alissa Paterson struggles to pass the ball through a sea of LAHS players. The strong offense from the LAHS players was a primary reason for their victory.
Although disappointed by the score, the girls were in good spirits afterwards as they discussed some of the referee’s calls on the game. Driscoll, however, was not pleased with their reaction.
“Why are you guys having so much fun? You just went 5-0. I’d be pissed off if I was playing right now,” Driscoll said to the team as he packed his bags.
He mentioned that the main reason for their loss was a lack of solid defense, which he plans to solve by re-structuring the format of the team by introducing a 4-4-2 formation. According to Driscoll, another cause of their defeat was the lack of speed with which they played the ball, which has plagued them in previous games.
“We stopped pressuring after a while because we felt beat, and we can’t do that,” Campbell said. “We have to keep going, put our hearts into it all the way through.”
The team’s next home game is on Wednesday Jan. 27 at 3:30 p.m. against Fremont HS.
