On March 28, Issaquah High School’s JV boys’ soccer team took on their game against Mount Si at the Gary Moore Stadium. The game was the season’s opener.
The first half started in Mount Si’s favor as they got a hold of the ball. The Eagles made sure to put up a good fight to take the ball, but there only seemed to be back and forth play for the first few minutes of the game. However, after a penalty by Mount Si, Issaquah became in full possession. A first shot was attempted, but the Wildcats’ goalie went right for the block. Regardless, the Eagles proved their teamwork as they ran down the field, passing the ball to #1 Daniel Marchione the goalie to secure their possession once again. Many throw-ins became necessary as both teams began to become more energetic with each pass.
Over halfway into the first period, Mount Si pulled off their first goal, making the score 0-1 Issaquah. The game’s crowd seemed to contain many Wildcat supporters, even with the game being located in the nest. Issaquah’s student section, on the other hand, stood their grounds and kept their morale up as their cheers felt more genuine than ever. At this point, the Eagles became more hungry for a point. However, after a slight collision between the Marchione, #4 Jackson Park, and a Mount Si athlete, the ball rolled right into the Wildcats’ goal, putting the score at 0-2. Things ended up working in the Eagles’ favor, though, just minutes later as the team scored a penalty kick and upped their points by one. Surprisingly, Mount Si was almost immediately able to get the ball to their goal just seconds later, increasing their score one more time. With 10 minutes to go, the Wildcats managed to make one more goal into the net. About 8 minutes later, the field became silent as an athlete from Mount Si suffered an injury, seemingly to the shin. The half ended with the score 1-4.
The momentum of the second half felt slow. Even though Issaquah made their fair amount of moves towards the goal, the ball rarely got a chance to roll in. With 16 minutes left, though, the Eagles went for their first direct shot for a point. Unfortunately, Mount Si’s goalie made sure the ball would not go through. Just 6 minutes later though, Issaquah finally got a point thanks to #13 Enzo Kolesnikslov. The game’s score ended as 2-4.
After being undefeated during pre-season, the team felt a sense of disappointment. Coach Charles Glenn explains, “It was a frustrating loss for the JV team. I thought they continued to battle even though they were behind for most of the game.” Marchione expands on this, saying, “I think we didn’t play too well, honestly. I wish we had a better result. Overall, there wasn’t much offense but I think our defense was really good.”
While spirits may be down right now, it is important to remember that Issaquah’s JV boys soccer just started off their season. There are still eight more games to attend, with the next game happening on Tuesday, April 12. Keep your head up Eagles!
