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On Thursday, February 20th, the boys’ varsity soccer team played their first game of the CIF Playoffs. The game took place on Warrior territory and anxious fans rallied together to cheer on their team as they battled the Long Beach Jordan Panthers for the first round.
The Warriors worked hard and persevered in order to take second place in Bay League. The Warriors knew the game against Long Beach would also be a tough match. “Going into the playoffs, we expect teams to be the best of the best,” said Josh Williams (11), the center defender for West. Leading up to the game, the Panthers were on a 10 game winning streak, preparing the Warriors for this intense battle.
The Warriors worked together to play the game to the best of their ability after they started the game off slow. “We realized that we were getting beat by a team a lot weaker then us. Once we started to pick up the intensity, we started to control the game,” said Joseph Barakat (12), the attacking midfielder and forward for West.
Playoff games prove to be more intense because there is more at stake compared to a regular season game. According to the goalkeeper, Denver Silverlake (10), the game, “was intense. Both crowds were cheering which made the game that much more crazy. We were pretty shaky at first, but we really got the flow of the game going which allowed us to have some scoring opportunities.” After a tough first and second half, the game went into overtime. The Warriors finished the game with a 1-0 victory.
This first win for the Warriors brought them even closer to the final round of the CIF Playoffs. The Warriors prepare to face their next obstacle: round two of the Playoffs against Loyola.
