After defeating Kaiser in their first San Andreas league match on January 27, Colton traveled to Arroyo Valley to take on the first place Hawks for the chance to play in Wednesday’s league championship game. The intense match ended with a 1-0 Colton loss.

The match started off rough as Colton failed to keep possession of the ball, which caused a foul in favor of Arroyo. This led the girls to become aggravated and put all their anger on the field.

Arroyo took the lead with 13 minutes left in the first half, finding an opportunity to slip through the Yellowjacket defense for a shot that went right through the hands of goalkeeper Joleena Silberman into the far top left corner of the goal.

As the first half came to an end, Colton fought to score, but struggled to keep control of the ball. Arroyo stayed a few steps ahead, keeping the ball out of their zone. 

The second half started off physically with Colton desperate to score. The Yellowjackets started to come alive as they broke through Arroyo’s defense with Adalyn Moreno and Tiffany Abril taking several shots on goal. Still, nothing found the net.

With the second half coming to a close and the score still 1-0, the game got very physical. Colton fought to keep the ball off their side of the field, but Arroyo’s very physical players kept biting at their heels. 

Coach Manuel Flores was upset about the loss, but still very proud of the fight his players put up. “Our team has faced so much adversity this season and despite it all, we are still playing hard and playing competitively.” he said. “Today, we couldn’t execute our opportunities and unfortunately, they were able to get one on us tonight. We played well and limited them to a few shots, but offensively we couldn’t get it done. Us coaches are proud of them and we just need to execute Wednesday to make the playoffs.”

The game ends with a score of 1-0, Arroyo taking the win tonight but with a well-fought game played by Colton. On Wednesday, the Yellowjackets travel to Eisenhower to match up against the Eagles in the third place game of the league tournament. Game time is 5:30 p.m.

Notes

Penalty kicks decided the outcome of boys soccer’s league tournament game against Summit High on Monday night. Regulation ended in a 1-1 tie between the schools, Colton’s only goal scored by Miguel Marcelo. Two nail biting overtime periods followed, setting the stage for a dramatic penalty kick climax, in which Colton won 15-14. The Yellowjackets travel to Jurupa Hills on Wednesday to play for the league title against the Spartans. Game time is 5:15 p.m.