On January 18, 2022, the Wilcox boy’s varsity soccer team won a hard-fought battle against Mountain View, proving yet again that they are slated to enter and hopefully win CCS. Consisting of twenty-one players, the team is a consistent and efficient body of players. They control the pitch effectively and consistently practice communication- shouts of “back” and “pass” resonated throughout Hazlett Field.  

The game started with an aggressive drive upfield by the Chargers, pushing Mountain View’s defenses back. Wilcox’s strategy of pressing the opposing team and forcing them to retreat into their own goal proved remarkably effective, especially in the second half. Wilcox players used technical skills to outmaneuver their opponents, dribbling and weaving throughout the mass of Mountain View players. Notably, this match was one of the most physical of the season, as both teams were well matched and highly competitive. With thirteen minutes remaining, goalkeeper Samuel Molina Lopez sustained a cramp and had to be walked off the field after a brief pause in gameplay. Trainer Gillian DeAngelo affirms that cramps are the most common soccer injury because the cold temperatures, especially at night, make it easy for athletes to strain their muscles. Despite Wilcox’s valiant efforts, Mountainview scored in the last ten minutes of the first half, bringing the score up to 0-1.  

After halftime, Wilcox returned to the field with a renewed sense of urgency. They had figured out Mountainview’s strategy, which was to “send the ball out wide and cross in the middle”, according to Adi Srivastava. With this in mind, the defenders intercepted and protected the back from multiple attempts at a goal by Mountain View. With twenty minutes remaining in the second half, the score was still zero to one favoring Mountain View, but freshman Sean Odle blitzed through Mountain View’s defenses and powered the ball into the goal, scoring Wilcox’s first point of the game. Six minutes later, Wilcox scored again, this time with a powerful cross into goal by striker Anthan Wingate. With a lead of two to one, Wilcox was once again in control of the game. With 1:58 remaining in the game, the game timer on the scoreboard malfunctioned and froze so the exact time is unknown, but at approximately forty-five seconds Mountain View missed their last and final shot on goal, and cemented yet another  victory for the Wilcox Chargers. 

Some of the victory can be attributed to the team’s cohesive approach to soccer. According to Manit Tyagi, the team is more like a “family” than anything, a close-knit community of friends who play soccer and spend time together. Part of Wilcox’s success as a team is also due to their rigorous practice schedule. Every day after school for two hours (except on game days) the boys troop out to the soccer field to practice plays and drills. 

With their latest victory over Mountain View, winning 2-1, the team is currently ranked first overall in SCVAL (Santa Clara Valley Athletic League) and is primed to make it to the Central Coast Section leagues final at the end of the season. According to center mid Srivastiva, the Chargers “are prepared” to win CCS, and center back Tyagi concurs, stating that the team is  “going to win league, get moved up next season, and win that league too.” With this winning mindset and a tenacious team of gifted athletes, the Wilcox Chargers are most definitely going to flawlessly represent our school in SCVAL finals and hopefully CCS.