The Wilcox varsity soccer team has left off exactly where last season ended. Last year, the Chargers finished the season with a loss in the CCS Championship game, but carried an eight-game win streak into the playoff finale. Thus far in the new season, the team is undefeated, owning a 5-0-5 record through Wednesday, Jan. 8. The Chargers have scored 16 goals this season while conceding just five. In Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Fremont, Wilcox scored the opening goal within the first three minutes of the game and continued to keep the foot on the gas in the second half.
Miguel Davila Rivera scored the opening goal for the Chargers on a nice through ball from Issa Diallo. From that point on the first half was relatively balanced from a possession standpoint. It appeared to be an evenly matched contest at the halftime break at just 1-0. In the second half though, the Chargers got goals from Matthew Staples and Emael Talavera to go up 3-0 as Wilcox looked like the much stronger team throughout the final 40 minutes.
“I think we played really good soccer out there. We were moving the ball really well tonight,” said Staples, who not only scored the Chargers’ second goal, but denied a quality opportunity for Fremont with a shot block from his defense position. “They had a couple counter attacks on us, but we worked through it. I think our distributors in the center were doing really good, getting the balls out wide, the through balls were great. Especially Nick [Payne] had lots of dimes, his assist to me was tremendous.”
On the flip side of things, the Firebirds were not very happy with their level of play. The Fremont side felt as if they let a handful of opportunities go by that should have ended up in the back of the Wilcox net and that they were uncharacteristically leaky on their back end.
“We got caught off guard early, there’s really no excuse,” said Firebirds senior captain Michael Wen. “It was way too easy for them to score, way too easy.”
Despite conceding three goals, Fremont goalkeeper Ivan Munoz made arguably the biggest save of the game. Diallo fired a hard shot that Munoz was able to block it wide with a full-extension dive. If not for Munoz, the Chargers could have had two or three or more goals.
As one might expect, Wilcox Head Coach Tomas Montes could not be more pleased with his squad’s performance to start this season.
“In 10 games we have only given up five goals. The defense with Rachit [Bishd], Matthew [Staples] and Oscar [Avendano] back there has really been the whole season,” noted the head coach. “Two games in league this season and zero goals given up. Tonight, Sammy [Lopez] had a brilliant save that kept the game with the momentum on our side.”
Wilcox’s next game will be on Friday, Jan. 17 at Monta Vista. Fremont, who is now 2-3 overall and 1-1 in league, will play host to Lynbrook on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
