Boys’ soccer copes with difficult start

After a rocky start to the season, the boys’ soccer team now holds a 1-3-2 record in the El Camino Division. The team will get ready to go on the road to face the Gunn Titans for a second time on Feb. 5.

The Falcons were able to turn their season in the right direction with a crucial win visiting the Lynbrook Vikings on Jan. 15 but hit another bump in the season with 1-0 home loss against the Milpitas Trojans on Jan. 22. The Falcons have big, winnable games coming up in the second half of the season against Lynbrook, Cupertino, Milpitas, and Wilcox.

The Milpitas matchup resulted in eight yellow cards and two red cards between the teams in a hotly contested affair that was decided by a Milpitas goal late in the second half.

Strong defensive lines have kept the Falcons’ forwards mostly in check during the league season, and even when scoring chances appear, the team hasn’t always cashed in.

Freshman Tim Kobara believes that the team sometimes lacks  the ability to make on-field decisions clearly and quickly.

“The only way to improve that is to keep the trainings intense and invest more effort and energy into trainings and matches,” Kobara said.

As a result, the team’s training sessions have been engineered to place more of an emphasis on shooting and finishing. Coach Chris Stott has been adding several shooting drills that help players’ finishing ability and the goalie’s skills as well.

Through the enhanced training sessions and gaining players such as senior midfielder Kushol Bhattacharjee and freshman midfielder Adam Fayad back from injury, the team has been regaining their form after starting the league season with a 5-3 loss to Gunn, a 1-0 loss to Cupertino and a 1-1 tie against Fremont.  

The team is ready to take on the second half of the season with an eye for a CCS Playoff spot, more wins, and possible promotion back into the De Anza Division for next year.

“We may not be the biggest team out there this season,” junior defender Abhiram Yellamilli said. “But we have talent and heart and that fuels this team.”