Senior Aidan Cunningham sprints toward a Saint to gain possession of a ball.
After falling to the Cristo Rey Saints, 0-4, on Jan. 5, the boys’ soccer team was looking to take back a win in their Jan. 24 rematch.
Senior Zane Jakobs said that before the game he wasn’t thinking about the Cavs’ previous meeting with the Saints.
“(The last time we played the Saints), we didn’t have (sophomore) Benett (Sackheim),” Jakobs said.
“I was more confident going into this game knowing we had him.”
Even though the Cavs had home field advantage this time, they couldn’t take down the Saints, suffering another 0-4 loss.
The Saints, arguably the Cavs’ toughest league opponent, are now 4-0 in the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League.
The game started off as a back-and-forth. The ball rarely left the middle third of the field and stayed that way for just about the full 90 minutes.
Senior Emil Erickson said this was the Saints’ strongest asset.
“(The Saints) had amazing possession control,” Erickson said. “They were really good about clearing the ball after a defensive stop.”
But the Saints capitalized on set pieces, scoring all their goals off corner or free kicks.
By the time halftime came around, Cristo Rey had a 0-3 lead.
Going into the second half, the Cavs began to limit the Saints’ chances. The boys were able to cut down the Saints’ possession time, disrupting their rhythm.
According to senior Aidan Cunningham, the Saints’ slow pace of play prevented the Cavs from playing their usual style.
“Our style of play is more aggressive,” Cunningham said.
“We push the ball out in the field and look for the goal while they wait and hold possession. All of their players had a really nice touch and could pass, so they were able to possess the ball easily.”
But the Cavs will use this game as a learning experience. According to Erickson, the Cavs need to work on winning 50/50 balls and finishing shots on goal.
The boys’ next game will be Thursday, Jan. 26, against Leroy Greene Academy at 3 p.m. at home.
—By Jake Longoria
