The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

Boys soccer: MVHS loses league matchup against Gunn HS

At the end of a rainy and cold week, the MVHS boys soccer team faced off against Gunn HS for the second time in their season. Since they lost to GHS 3-2 three weeks earlier in the season, MVHS has only experienced more disappointment, winning only one out of four games since that matchup.

Looking to rebound from their previous losses, MVHS started the game confident. But, as their aggressiveness on defense started to die down, they let some shots slip past the defenders, resulting in a 4-0 loss.

MVHS started the game off quick by getting multiple shot opportunities on an initially slow-paced GHS defense. However, the Titans’ goalie was able to make a few crucial saves to stop the Matadors from scoring.

On the defensive side, MVHS was dominating GHS, not allowing them on their side of the field for most of the first half. Junior Soham Mukherjee reflected on the team’s strategy at the  beginning of the game.

“I think the first 15 to 20 minutes we dominated the game, especially in the midfield,” Mukherjee said. “After not getting any goals, we started to change things up and change the system and that’s when we broke apart.”

As the first half continued, MVHS started to substitute players in each position trying to get a goal. However, this backfired as MVHS lost their steam, leaving gaps in what was once their brick wall of a defense. The Titans seized that opportunity and scored two goals back to back against MVHS goalie Hassham Malik who had little help around him.

Mukherjee beats a GHS defender. MVHS used their quickness to find and exploit gaps in the GHS defense.
Mukherjee beats a GHS defender. MVHS used their quickness to find and exploit gaps in the GHS defense.

The second half was the same as the first, with both teams coming out slow having constant back and forth play. Senior Aurum Kathuria fouled a GHS player in the box causing a penalty kick. GHS made it with ease, giving themselves a 3-0 lead.

GHS kept attacking the Matadors who were unable to stop them, conceding another goal later in the half. Sophomore defender Noah Rizk talked about why they struggled on defense.

“We let in some really bad goals,” Rizk said. “Because of that we kind of just gave up.”

 

Senior Arjun Mathur dribbles in front of a GHS defender. GHS stopped MVHS from scoring any goals in this game.
Senior Arjun Mathur dribbles in front of a GHS defender. GHS stopped MVHS from scoring any goals in this game.

With only five more games left in the season, MVHS is looking forward to playing rivals Cupertino HS and Lynbrook HS. In order to end the season on a good note, MVHS has to improve on certain things.  

“We need someone on our team to step up as a goal scorer,” Mukherjee said. “We just need to be cleaner, a lot of our passes are simple but we just pass it to the other team.”

About the Contributor
Anish Vasudevan, Co-editor-in-chief
Anish Vasudevan is currently a senior and co-editor-in-chief for El Estoque. He is a wide receiver and cornerback for the MVHS football team and enjoys playing recreational basketball with his friends. In his free time he watches ESPN and dreams of being a sports journalist someday.
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