JV-A 2/4: Spartans Fall in Hard-Fought Battle Against Cy Falls

The Spartans battled evenly with Cy Falls for much of the game but fell 0-1 after a late goal.

The first half was a defensive struggle with short possessions and limited scoring opportunities. Mohammad Al-Mohammad made a crucial defensive stop on a breakaway at 10:47, while Samuel Garrido generated a corner kick at 7:45, but it sailed out of bounds. Erich Cheng shut down a Cy Falls attack with a save at 6:55, and Denys Artiukhov made a key stop at 4:07 to keep the match scoreless. The Spartans had two late chances as Garrido fired a shot from 20 yards out off a long pass at 3:02, and another strong run at :45 nearly set up a scoring opportunity, but the first half ended 0-0.

The second half opened with Binh Mai making a stop at 31:00, but Cy Falls found a breakthrough at 10:00, scoring off a rebounded shot to take a 1-0 lead. The Spartans fought to equalize, with Hudson Hennessey setting up an offensive push at 24:00, and Eduardo Cordero making a strong run at 12:00, dodging defenders and firing a shot just wide. The ball rebounded to Artiukhov, who took a long-range shot from over 30 yards out, but it sailed high.

With 6:00 remaining, Cy Falls had a penalty kick to extend their lead, but Mai came up with a clutch PK save to keep the Spartans in the game. Stratford made several late runs, but time expired before they could find the equalizer, resulting in a 0-1 loss. Despite the defeat, the Spartans showed strong defensive play and resilience, keeping the game close until the final whistle.

JV-A 2/7: Stratford Soccer JV-A Spartans Take Their Spoils

In what was mostly a game of two halves, the JV-A Soccer Boys Soccer Team celebrated a meritorious 2-1 victory over the Cy Ridge Rams. For the first twenty minutes, the possession was balanced between the two teams, with each having an occasional drive toward to the goal but with no real threat of a score. Then suddenly, as part of a midfield drive up to the Spartan territory, a Cy Ridge forward managed to get free and drive toward the goal, forcing goalie Binh Mai to come out and challenge the attacker. With a successful challenge, the ball came out, and to another Cy Ridge attacker with a clear shot on goal, and Binh out of position to defend. The attacker made an excellent shot, but only to be denied by the towering-tree defender Benton Byrd to prevent the score.

With an inspiring defense, the Spartan midfield took the initiative for the remainder of the half, bringing the offense multiple attacks near the Ridge goal. With 16 minutes remaining in the half, the Spartans went on the attack. A great corner kick by No. 6 Kevin Espinosa placed right in front of the goal resulted in a near score and another corner opportunity. Again, another well-placed corner from No. 10 Taher Alkassem in front of the goalie nearly managed a score, but with a third corner opportunity coming. As third time is always the charm, another Alkassem corner shot connected to No. 11 Samuel Garrido with a putaway into the goal, giving the Spartans the 1-0 lead.

With momentum clearly with the Spartans, the game continued near the Rams' goal. With excellent passing and patience, the Spartans connected up with No. 21 Ayden Zuniga delivering the ball to an open No. 12 Eduardo Cordero. who smashed a strike across the goalie and into the goal. The Spartans ended the half 2-0.

The Rams came out in the second half in a full charge and immediately put the pressure on the Spartans. With 10 minutes into the half, the Rams broke free from a counter-attacking run that got past the Spartans’ back line with a straight shot on goal but a near miss. Strong defense again from Benton Byrd and Binh Mai to force the attacker into an aggressive shot. However, feeling the momentum on their side, the Rams continued an attacking barrage on the Spartans. For the next 7 minutes, the Rams continuously shot on goal and took corner kicks, but with impressive saves from the now fiery Binh Mai and resilient Spartan defenders. Finally though, with 16 minutes remaining, a Rams attacker managed possession of the ball in the middle of the Spartans area and struck a driving shot to score, bringing the game within one goal.

The Rams continued the pressure and seemed to take the momentum in the game, requiring heroics out of the Spartan defenders. With 14 minutes remaining, the Rams took advantage of a clear counter-attack, with a winger speeding down toward the Spartan goal. Out of nowhere, a lightning run from Braden Oliphant stopped the drive with a perfect slide tackle.

Time started to wear down the Rams' momentum, and Spartan midfielders brought the game back into balance near the end. A couple free kicks resulted in a near score from Hudson Hennessey but with a great save from the Rams goalie. The Spartans effectively bled out the remaining time to secure another victory.

The boys take on Memorial this Tuesday in what is likely going to be an epic showdown.