The Carlmont freshman boys soccer team defeated Burlingame High School with a score of 7-0 in a regular season game at Carlmont High School on Friday, Jan. 12. The Scots dominated the Panthers, resulting in their biggest win of the season.
“We were very focused going into the game. We wanted to come out very strong and get out in front early,” said freshman Benjamin Kiernan.
Both teams started the game strong and had multiple opportunities to score. After 15 minutes, Carlmont freshman Nathan Gonzales broke the deadbolt and scored a goal, putting the Scots in the lead. Gonzales managed to get away from his defender and put himself in a one-on-one against the opposing goalkeeper, which he converted with a shot to the bottom left corner.
The Scots showed the same level of control and skill throughout the rest of the first half, and soon after the first goal, Ian Sijbrant scored another, extending the Scots lead to 2-0. Later, James Elliot scored a third goal for the Scots.
“The team did really well in ball possession and attacking play,” said coach Hugh Plitt.
Seconds before the end of the first half, the Panthers scored an own goal from a missed clearance. The first half ended with a score of 4-0, with the Scots in the lead.
“I think our passing was good, but we need to work on our communication and focus on the little things. We still have to improve a lot,” said John Alves, a freshman for the Panthers.
During the second half, the Scots were able to control the game and extend their lead by three more goals. Ronan Hu scored early in, and Keegan Marlatt scored the sixth goal with a shot near the penalty spot. Hu ended the game with a brace, scoring his second goal from outside the penalty area and in the upper right corner of the goal, out of reach from the goalkeeper. The game ended with a final score of 7-0.
“We heard some rumors of them talking smack about us before the game, so we wanted to come in and show them what we are made of, and we are very happy with the result,” said freshman Noah Pang.
Even with their dominant performance, the Scots try to improve after every game and plan to go into their next game even stronger.
“We are going to keep working, get better at movement and possession, and look into different versions of attacking,” Plitt said.
With seven more games left in their season, the Scots look forward to their future games and have high hopes and expectations.
“We want to go undefeated. We’ve played very good teams, and we’ve beat them, so I think we can do it,” Kiernan said.
