The Carlmont Scots won their third soccer game of the preseason 1-0 against the St. Ignatius Wildcats on Wednesday, Dec. 8.
In a misty and cold setting, Carlmont and St. Ignatius played an intense game for 80 minutes with Scots scoring the first and only point of the game. Going into the game with two previous wins, Wildcats underwent their first loss of the season but they didn’t go down without a fight.
The game contained a series of injuries including a bloody nose from a Carlmont player, several trips over the ball, and a hard fall for junior Luca Byers-Mora. St. Ignatius came to the field with confidence from their previous wins but they were aware of the skill the Scots possess.
“We felt pretty confident. We won our first two games but we knew we were going to get a test down here. It’s a tough place to come. The team and players have a lot of energy and enthusiasm,” said Alan Downey, the St. Ignatius head coach.
Senior Ryan Yang scored a point in the first half through an opening in the Wildcats defense. Teammates were extremely supportive of this goal, cheering ecstatically from the sidelines.
“Even though I finished that [goal], the build-up was everything. Seeing that chemistry and after just going crazy together- I love seeing that,” Yang said.
Defense and offense were strong on both sides throughout the entirety of the game keeping the score tight. Josh Barde, a senior, was knocked over by a St. Ignatius player resulting in a free shot from the 50-yard line for Carlmont. The shot was made, but a Carlmont player ran into the goalie, resulting in the goal not being counted.
After the game, the Wildcats shared thoughts of satisfaction about their playing along with areas of improvement for the team as a whole.
“We’re pretty happy that we only conceded one goal but we are disappointed we didn’t score more. We didn’t score at all. Defensively we’re fairly happy with our performance and offensively we have a lot to work on,” Downey said.
Multiple players from Carlmont agreed that their communication and team chemistry continued to develop throughout the game and will continue to develop as the season continues.
“We did really well on playing together as a team,” said Kotaro Kikuchi, a sophomore winger.
The mental aspect of the team’s success was evident through shouts, cheers, and words of encouragement between players on the field.
The Scots are now 2-1 in wins vs. losses for the season and play their next game on Dec. 10 against the Menlo-Atherton. Though they won, Carlmont still holds goals and areas of improvement for the team overall.
“We still have a month until the regular season so we’ll definitely look to build up that team chemistry more and more,” Yang said.
