Boys’ soccer recovering from slow start to preseason

By Noah Miyamae

Assoc. Sports Editor

The boys varsity soccer team lost to the Pasadena Poly Panthers on Tuesday, December 15, at home by a score of 3-0. The team is now 1-4 in the preseason with Rio Hondo League play approaching quickly. 

South Pas was not playing to its fullest potential from the start of the first half. The team could not connect many passes and capitalize on close goal attempts. However, there were a couple of plays in which the left wing of South Pas executed very well. Junior defender Max Amido, senior defender Tim Hitchcock, and senior midfielderOskar Hernandez were able to push the ball toward Poly’s goal with coordinated passing and overall strong ball-handling. Sophomore striker Jack Renken and senior striker James Tulin both had several attempts on goal but all were stopped by the Poly defensive line. Within a very short span of time, Poly would tack on three goals at 3-0 to close the first half. The Tigers came back in the second half, and shut down the Poly offense. South Pas was not able to get on the board, however, and the game concluded by a score of 3-0.

“We played much better in the second half by moving the ball around the field and communicating with one another,” senior defender Clayton Kabealo said. “Today’s loss did not properly represent our team as we are clicking better as a unit with each match.”

The team has had a slow preseason, but with each game, the boys improve. The highlight of the Tigers’ season so far was the victory against the Alhambra Moors when Renken and Hernandez permanently shifted the momentum to South Pas early in the game when they both scored. The Moors could not come back from the deficit and the game ended by a score of 2-0. The Tigers key to success in future matches will be passing as well as they did against Alhambra. The team is communicating and handling the ball better as the boys play with each other more.

Junior goalie Kevin Foster has been both a consistent goalkeeper and leader. He leads the team by yelling instructions to prevent defensive holes and blocking many attempts on goal. On the other side, Tulin has been the top scorer and was provided much of the offense for the Tigers. 

The boys will attempt to improve their record to 2-4 when they play Schurr High School at home today.