Illustration by Eugene Felix

story by Mauricio Casillas

After a last minute win against the Montwood Rams, the JV boys soccer team looked to stay hot as they faced the El Dorado Aztecs at home.

The field was drenched with rain, making game play difficult. However, this did not faze the team, as they were able to capitalize with an early first half goal from junior striker Troy Beverly. Despite this being the only goal the team scored, it was enough to propel the team to victory as well as improve their record to 5-1 in district.

Looking to improve on their two game winning streak, the Cougars were confident in facing their Westside rivals, Coronado. Tension increased between the two teams as sophomore defender Dominic Caldas and a Coronado forward both received red cards after getting into a scuffle. This proved to go in favor of the T-Birds, as they were able to build off of this and capitalize with a breakaway goal. At halftime, the score was 1-0. In the second half, the team attacked relentlessly, but to no avail, as Coronado was able to counter and score two more goals. The game ended in a 3-0 loss, giving the Cougars a lot to think about going into the bye week.

With a week of practice and rest under their belts, the Cougars traveled to Americas to play the Trail Blazers. The team came out of the locker room ready to attack as they pushed with everything they had to try and get on opening goal. This attacking mindset proved to be unsuccessful, as a breakdown in the defense led to a first half goal for Americas. The team could not seem to find their rhythm in the second half as well, as more unsuccessful attack attempts, as well as a Trailblazer free kick goal, deflated the team’s confidence and ended in a second straight loss

The Cougars look to end their two game losing streak as they face Socorro at home on Wed. Feb. 24 at 7:30 PM.