Varsity Boys Soccer fell to Fremont High School 4-2 on Friday, Jan. 16. After junior Theeran Sathish scored an early goal, FHS picked up its offense and surged ahead to a 2-1 lead by halftime. In the second half, the Matadors conceded two more goals in quick succession, unable to catch up to FHS’s offense with only senior Vedant Agarwal managing to score a goal in the final 10 minutes of the match.
Junior and striker Theeran Sathish attributes the loss to the team’s defensive vulnerabilities. Fremont’s ability to exploit gaps in the Matadors’ defense resulted in several goals, which he believes were preventable with a better mindset and added focus while protecting their lead.
“We’ve scored the first goal in our last four games and we haven’t got a single win out of it,” Sathish said. “We need to lock in when we have the lead and try not to concede as much as possible.”
Sophomore and goalkeeper Darsh Kanukolarnu believes the game’s trajectory significantly shifted after the halftime mark. Kanukolanu and Sathish both noticed that while MVHS started off strong with an early goal and maintained composure, Fremont’s comeback sparked a noticeable change in Monta Vista’s playstyle, where they shifted away from their methodical passes to a more direct approach.
Despite the loss, freshman and left wing-back Han Chau sees this match as a positive show of the team’s effort. Additionally, Kanukolanu and Chau both felt that even though the game’s outcome was disappointing, they can acknowledge that the team put in a solid effort and demonstrated a stronger morale in this match compared to previous matches.
“I guess the team was playing well together,” Chau said. “But I think the players had more fun with this game than the other games and there was a lot more energy.”
Looking forward, all three players share an optimistic vision for the rest of their season. With better execution and discipline, they say they are confident that they can rival most other teams in the league. Thanks to this game, they now understand the adjustments needed and can implement them in their future games.
“My hope is that we score more goals by working on our wing,” Kanukolanu said. “We should work on our wings and also on actually keeping possession better. Because I feel like we were playing the other team’s game, and defensively, I feel like our clearances could be much better.”
Junior and striker Ivan Shliakhov attempts to steal the ball from an FHS player. Photo | Ritik Shenoy