The Carlmont varsity boys soccer team secured a 1-0 victory over the South San Francisco Warriors in their eventful senior night game on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Following their senior night celebration, the Scots dominated possession early on in the game, with Scot sophomore Ian Sijbrant and senior Donovan Dooley completing multiple successful plays down the right wing.
About halfway through the first half, the Warriors picked up a burst of momentum and countered the strong offense of the Scots by creating some chances of their own, which were denied by defensive Carlmont seniors Derek Rowe and Noah Franklin. The match remained scoreless through the first half despite the Scots pressuring the Warriors for much of the game.
The Scots entered the second half of the game with a determined mindset, ramping up their attack with multiple efforts down the wings and through the middle. Led by juniors Jonas Sijbrant and Alex Kim, who contributed both defensively and offensively, the Scots were able to create a few scoring chances that fell short.
With under seven minutes left in the match, Carlmont finally broke through. Kim delivered a diagonal long ball to senior Hudson Gates, who let it run past him, setting up junior Zaid Gaber for an open shot on goal. Gaber made no mistake and placed the ball past the Warrior goalkeeper to give Carlmont the decisive goal in the last few minutes.
“I saw the ball roll out to me, and I was just like, I have to hit it. I just slotted it,” Gaber said.
Carlmont remained solid defensively in the closing moments, securing the shutout victory.
“Definitely one of those where we weren’t going full at how we like to play. It’s always a little weird with senior day and stuff as well. Definitely feel like we were the better team, we just didn’t show it the whole game, but in the end, we were able to figure that out,” said Carlmont head coach Ryan Freeman.
Ian Sijbrant emphasized the importance of securing the victory on senior night, despite a previous victory against the Warriors.
“I knew South San Francisco wasn’t the best team, but it’s still a game that we needed to win, especially because of senior night,” Sijbrant said.
Reflecting on the game, Freeman also highlighted standout performances from multiple players.
“You gotta give it to Zaid, he put it in the back of the net. The backline and midfield held firm and I think especially Donnie played his shift even though he was on a really tight hamstring. You gotta give it to George, the 14-year-old freshman who comes into a varsity game against 18-year-olds and gives everything he has. Sometimes just the work effort alone makes a difference,” Freeman said.
Looking ahead, Carlmont aims to continue their momentum into postseason play.
“This season, I think we started off a little bit slow, and then we showed really good strength in the league, and then came out with a pretty good overall. We’re just looking forward to making CCS,” Gaber said.
With a strong core of underclassmen contributing to the team, the Scots look to carry their momentum into the postseason and beyond.
