The McClatchy boys’ soccer varsity team had a match against River City to take home the Metro League title earlier this Tuesday. It also was McClatchy’s senior night, with 14 amazing seniors leaving the field this year with a great future ahead.
The game started with McClatchy having the ball for kickoff. They started strong and maintained control over the ball. The boys had a big section of supporters on the other side of the field, cheering them on as they kept possession among the other team. River City came in hot with their tackles while getting frustrated with the McClatchy boys’ talent.
McClatchy had to play their match not only against River City but also against the referee; it was a hard game to work through while the referee made unfair calls against McClatchy, allowing their opponent to gain ball control a few times. But the boys did not let that stop them from playing their game.
The first half ended with a score of 0-0, with the crowd cheering them on. They all headed over to their coaches to have a brief discussion with their team about what they could be doing better and what they had done so far 40 minutes into the half. The whistle blew to alert both teams that they would begin the match soon. The second half started with River City kicking off, but they didn’t keep the ball for long as McClatchy gained control over the game, taking them into River City’s half of the field and having shots on goal back to back.
A mistake happened with McClatchy’s defenders, which led to a goal for River City. It was unfortunate, but McClatchy took that into their own hands, knowing that they needed to score as soon as possible. McClatchy had a corner kick on River City’s side, giving them a better chance to score. McClatchy did not happen to score on the first corner kick, but then River City got a touch on the ball, leading us into another corner kick. They played the ball short to Emilio Godnick, who dribbled past 2 defenders and sent a beautiful ball to the center of the box, giving Nathaniel Ochoa a chance to score. He did it with a volley straight to the back of the net, too fast to get a reaction out of the goalkeeper. The boys all gathered around, cheering each other on while heading back to their side of the field.
It was such a nail-biting moment, knowing that both teams were tied 1-1 with River City and McClatchy desperately wanting to win the game for our seniors! Minutes went by and BAM, McClatchy was in their box once again, and everyone was in a scramble trying to get the ball in the goal while it was being kicked around and blocked. But then there goes Angel Mendoza-Ramirez, another senior, with the goal that hit the post and crossed the line. Everyone waited with such intensity to see if the referee would count it, and he did! The crowd erupted while Angel and his teammates gathered to run to their coach and cheer. The score was now 2-1, and McClatchy was up by one goal with 5 minutes remaining.
The whistle blew, and the boys started yelling and cheering, just as the parents did the same. They got together and formed a line to say good game to River City as they headed home, number 1 Metro League Champions, and with 2 seniors leaving the field having accomplished what they needed to do it was a great game for the boys’ varsity soccer team. Now, they head off to the playoffs.