On May 9, the Jefferson Junior Varsity (JV) boys soccer team lost their final game of the season 1-3 against South Lakes High School. Freshman Tristan Raffo scored Jefferson’s sole goal during the game.
Coach Fernando Castro set up his team to press high up the field in order to win the ball. As a result, though, the defense had to deal with long balls in behind. Freshman center-back Jack Gao moored the back line for Jefferson, constantly making tackles to keep his team in the game.
“I thought our game plan was pretty good and it worked to perfection in the first half. The second half we just got a little sloppy and fell out of sorts,” Gao said. “I thought [Raffo] made a good run to get on the end of that cross and score.”
In just two minutes, Jefferson led. Following a cross from sophomore Nathan Gizachew, Raffo snuck in at the near post and glanced the ball into the net. Other than a couple of attacks after the goal, though, the South Lakes defense was able to stop the Jefferson forwards. Late in the first half, South Lakes tied the score with a curling goal from outside of the box. At halftime, the score was 1-1.
“Connecting with [Raffo] on that assist showcased the teamwork and spirit we bring every game at Jefferson soccer,” Gizachew said.
In the second half, though, South Lakes scored two more goals to finish off the contest.
It may not have been how the team wanted to end their campaign, but next season holds the promise of a deeper, more complete team.
“Our results weren’t exactly what we expected or wanted, but I know that every single member of the team improved this season, and we’ll be back next year,” freshman midfielder Mikaeel Taher said.
In the end, the scoreline didn’t reflect the complete performance Jefferson showed.
“I think we all wanted to end the season with a win, but we put in a valiant effort,” Gao said.
