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The boys’ varsity soccer team has continued to rise to the challenge each game this season, making them the number one team in the AAA league.
The Cardinals work well together to dominate each opponent. “We have a team dynamic,” senior co-captain and sweeper Zack Deutsch-Gross said. “At this stage, we can’t pick any one player to embody the team; you can’t win with one player.”
 Junior Carlos Valadez,arguably one of the best midfielders in the AAA, looks to send a long ball to a fellow teammate in a 0-0 tie on Sept. 29 against the June Jordan Jaguars. (Cassandra Liu) |
The Cardinals faced off against one of their fiercest opponents in the league on Oct. 8, the O’Connell Boilermakers, the only team in the league that has been able to keep up with the Cardinals. The boys did not disappoint as they pulled off a 3-2 victory. “We pulled through and it was great,” Deutsch-Gross said. “We played some of the best soccer I’ve ever seen at Lowell.”
The boys started the game strong as senior co-captain and forward Anthony Clay scored two goals in the first half. Though the Boilermakers tied up the game in the second half, the Cardinals weren’t going to let O’Connell take the top spot in the league. On the scene came junior midfielder Carlos Valadez, whose shot in the later stages of the game was the deciding goal. “We frazzled them and confused them,” Clay said. “They couldn’t match the level at which we played.”
On Oct. 6, the boys defeated Lincoln 4-2. The Cardinals dominated the first half, scoring three quick goals. But like their O’Connell game, the Cardinals lost their momentum in the second half when the vengeful Mustangs scored two goals. “We lost focus completely,” Deutsch-Gross said. “We came to halftime thinking we had the game in the bag.” But the Cardinal’s tight defense helped them remain in control of the game. “Our forwards and midfielders are honestly amazing,” Deutsch-Gross said. “We have a knack for being able to pull it together in the end.”
The Cardinals crushed Thurgood Marshall 8-1 on Oct. 2. “We were working like we should be,” junior back Julian “Bagels” Enis said.
As the guys kept up their flawless defense and offense, the younger players got their chance to showcase their skills. “It’s unfortunate that they haven’t gotten much playing time,” Enis noted. “Some of the underclassmen are really standing out.”
On Sept. 29, the Cardinals’ hopes for a perfect season were halted by a 0-0 tie against June Jordan. Throughout the game, the Cardinals outshot the Jaguars; however, in the end it wasn’t enough to score and pull off a win. “We didn’t play as well as we thought we should have,” sophomore midfielder Max Pollard said. “We missed a couple of chances and we were not completely focused.”
On Sept. 22, the boys trampled the Balboa Buccaneers, who were previously undefeated, by a score of 5-1. Clay scored four of the five Cardinal goals in the first half. Clay gave the Cardinals this extra boost as he played his first game of the season after recovering from a preseason ankle injury. “He brings a lot of enthusiasm and reassures us that we have a chance to score every time he touches the ball,” Pollard said.
As long as the guys keep focused and humble, their strength as a team will easily rival the power of their opponents. “It’s not going to be easy; we’re definitely going to have to step it up and play as hard as we’ve ever played,” Enis said.
The players have repeatedly sacrificed themselves for the good of the team, as shown by players like Enis, Valadez, and junior midfielder Leo Harrington, all of whom took on the job of playing different positions they do not normally play when some of the core players were unable to play in the O’Connell and Balboa games. This commitment pays off. “It seems like we just keep building on our team,” Deutsch-Gross said. “We’re the best team in the league and our standings prove it.”
Each player contributes the best of his abilities to each game, but they all win together. “Lowell’s strength is teamwork, so far it’s been a really big team effort to get where we are now,” Enis said. “We’ve really had to play hard.”
Come support the Cardinals at 3:45 p.m. on Oct. 20 at Burton as they face off against the Pumas. |
