On April 4, the Issaquah Boys’ C Soccer Team suffered a close loss to one of our rivals, Mount Si. In a 3-1 loss, Isaaquah held their ground until the bitter end. The C soccer team, Issaquah’syoungest soccer team, fought to prove their place among our JV and varsity teams. With their majority wins this season, they are surely earning their place as Issaquah athletes and champions. 

Accompanied by former Issaquah student Omar Jallow, a professional soccer player for Spain and Portugal, I was able to decode some of the most important plays of the game. As I arrived, sophomore Ahmad Jallow had just taken a penalty for the team. At the half hour mark of the first quarter, the score read 1-0 in favor of Issaquah. 

The Issaquah boys had their chance to show some skills in soccer, including a few successful head bump passes, and a few not so successful. The boys were also quick on their feet, making long and accurate passes to their teammates, but unfortunately, none leading to another goal. Sophomore Beckham Chapman was a useful asset to the game, being the star receiver of passes on the field. While he was able to take control of the ball with the assistance of teammates, he pushed quite a few passes out of bounds, a common mistake across both teams for this game. 

Shortly after a score by Mount Si in the remaining ten minutes of the first quarter, Issaquah’s number 22 nearly tripped over the ball before making a successful pass to number 24. Down to the last six minutes of the first quarter, Mount Si scored another goal to the confusion and dismay of our goalie, but hope was not lost, as Issaquah blocked another goal by Mount Si as the quarter ended. 

During halftime, it seemed clear to Omar and I what the outcome of the game may be. Being well versed in the game, Omar admitted that Mount Si had some superior skills to ours. C team coach Garyy Shane had this to say about the rare loss: “I know the boys will keep winning this season. All this is just a roadblock for a determined team.” However, his pupils had some more solemn thoughts about their loss. Sophomore Ahmad Jallow says, “We had such a good winning streak. I really thought we could continue winning but sometimes it’s not realistic.” In a roundabout sense, Jallow seems to agree with coach Shane, saying that winning every game just is not in the cards this season. Who can blame them? This year of sports has looked entirely different from normal, with some players having a significant gap in their time playing the sport. Sophomore Beckham Chapman touches on the loss as well: “I felt I made a few good passes this game, but Mount Si are (kind of) our rivals, so we all expected this could be a tough game.” 

The Issaquah boys C team soccer is determined to keep up their wins this season. Even with another goal by Mount Si in the second quarter, constituting their win, Issaquah was able to suffer a loss and their winning majority still remains. If you find yourself at one of their few games to come, make sure our boys C team soccer feels welcome and supported as new members of the Issaquah sports community. I wish them luck in our infamous Skyline game on April 18.