By Brandon Nguyen
This Wednesday afternoon, the boys’ varsity soccer team faced off against Edison, a long rivaled history between the two schools that ended with high emotions and a screaming crowd and lost 0-2 in the last game of the Sunset League.
The first half started with Barons in immediate possession of the ball. Edison quickly counterattacked and stole the ball, which forced junior Alex Pham to deflect an incoming goal. In the tenth minute, Edison got a penalty shot that deflected and almost scored into the goal.
Fountain Valley then quickly rushed down the field that led to senior Sebastin Rus to narrowly score, but it went over the goalpost. Edison remained dominant on offense with the Barons not able to make substantial offense ground, but Edison unable to break through.
The Barons found their opportunity after junior Masin Marini wrestled the ball away from an Edison player in the twenty-fifth minute. Fountain Valley surged down into Edison’s half of the field with Edison narrowly ahead. The Barons got the ball inside the crowded penalty box in a tense situation, where Edison’s goalie dived to grab the ball causing Edison’s goalie to receive multiple kicks in the head.
“In the first half, we played well defensively. The referee definitely contributed to our loss, but overall they were better technically and physically. They were stronger and taller and won most of the balls in the middle. It just got out of hand with the referee and everyone [in the crowd] shouting,” senior Dylan Duong said.
After, Marini got into a scuffle with an Edison player that made both teams more energized. The game became more aggressive with a tense back and forth for the next 12 minutes. Pham intercepted a goalie’s throw that bounced to Rus who took another shot at the 20 yard line, but went over the goalpost. Edison ended the first half with a kick straight into senior Connor Trapp, the goalie.
“The first half, we played well. We looked like the better team out there. This was the last game for the seniors, so we wanted to leave it all out on the field. Overall, I’m happy with our team’s performance, but we had some bad referees,” Trapp said.
Both teams entered the second half with high aggression. Only two minutes in, Edison got a penalty shot that successfully went into the goal, making the score 0-1. Senior Andres Rodriguez then received a green card after competing in a headshot with an Edison player.
Intensities heightened as Pham had to be taken out of the game after colliding with multiple players for control of the ball. Edison corner kicked the ball that led to a contentious battle for headshots that led to Rus getting ejected from the game.
“This was not the way we wanted to end the season. But it happened and we played really well. I’m proud of how we ended off, just unfortunate to have a couple mistakes and stuff we can’t control. I’m proud of the boys,” Rus said.
The referee then ejected Trapp, the Baron’s goalie after a clash of words with an Edison player. Trapp was replaced by senior Jack Nelson, the secondary goalie. The combativeness between the two teams continued to rise as both teams continued to make strong efforts for control of the ball. A scuffle broke out in mid-field and Edison was rewarded another penalty shot.
This penalty shot was solely between an Edison player and Nelson and resulted in a successful score for Edison, 0-2. The Barons remained encouraged when Rus got a red card, while on the bench after a dispute with the referee in the twenty-eighth minute of the second half.
The game continued with Fountain Valley seizing control of the ball and gaining offensive ground. Senior Jonathan Swete neared the goal and narrowly missed with an Edison player on him. The rest of the game was a back and forth ending 0-2.
Head coach Jason Smith shared the same sentiment about the referees as his players.
“It should have ended in a tie. We played well today. We deserve better today. We’ll be back next year stronger,” Smith said.
This was the Baron’s last game of the Sunset League with an overall score of six wins, nine losses and two ties.
