A tough season came to a close for the varsity soccer squads this past week, the Escalon boys and girls playing out their final contests on the pitch.
Neither varsity squad qualified for the playoffs, with wins in the TVL hard to come by.
VARSITY BOYS
A lopsided loss wasn’t the way the varsity boys wanted to end their season, but that’s exactly what happened on the road. Playing at Orestimba on Monday, Feb. 10, they came home after being handed a 9-1 defeat.
“A difficult game, Orestimba played with extreme intensity and we were very flat,” head coach Paul Silva admitted. “We were slow to mark their attackers and were punished by it.”
Diego Arizmendi put the Cougars on the board with their only goal of the afternoon.
“He scored via a header from a corner kick,” Silva said.
And though it was a hard season, the coach said there is reason for optimism.
“I think the program is headed in the right direction,” Silva said, noting that several players will transition from the successful JV team. “We had eight sophomores on varsity (this season) and with a strong JV group moving up next year, we should take a big step forward.”
VARSITY GIRLS
Hosting Orestimba on Feb. 10, it was Senior Night for the Lady Cougars. Recognized for their contributions to the program over the years were seniors Karisa McNeil, goalkeeper; Sarah Castillo, defense/midfielder; Mia Arteaga, midfielder; Darla Garcia, forward/midfielder; Isabella Podwinski, defense/midfielder; and Maddie Bronska, midfielder/defense.
In the game, Orestimba was just one goal better than Escalon, taking the 2-1 win from the host Lady Cougars.
“The girls played very hard, but we could not find the net,” said assistant coach Jim Ball. “Seven girls took shots for us led by Adriana Romero with five.”
Escalon was down 1-0 at the half and were able to tie it up in the second half.
“It was on a goal by Payton Abbott off a beautiful cross by Adriana Romero,” Ball said. “Defensively, Gweneth Goodman and Kenadie Baker did a good job against their skilled forwards.”
Orestimba punched one more through in the second half to secure the victory.
“Karisa McNeil had another solid game in goal with 12 saves,” explained Ball. “Reagan Baker, Yareli Cervantes, and Mia Arteaga also played well, holding down the middle of the field.”
JV BOYS
On the road for their season finale, the JV boys fell by a 3-1 final to Orestimba.
“Miguel Arce got our only goal,” said coach Polo Rodriguez. “The boys played and finished strong, unfortunately we couldn’t get back on the scoreboard more.”
The team ended its season at 11-5-2 overall and compiled an 8-3-1 mark in league play.
“An absolute great season,” Rodriguez said.
JV GIRLS
Closing out their season with a victory, the JV girls were 3-0 winners at home on Feb. 10. Notching the goals were Alexandra Romero, Brooklyn Dugo and Lola Duenas.
“The season ended well; the girls tried their best (through the season) even through all the sickness and injuries,” coach Lindsay Plascencia said, noting that players had to move around in the line-up and frequently played in new positions filling in for teammates. “I can’t wait to see what we have in store for next year.”
