Warrior Soccer vs Barclay College: A Hard Fight, A Tough Loss
On September 26th, at the 49ers field, the Union Warriors Soccer team faced off against the Barclay College Bears. The opposing team came all the way from Haviland, Kansas. The Bears are ranked second nationally in the NCCAA Division II.
The Bears pulled ahead at the start and remained in the lead throughout the entire first half with the Warriors scoring one goal in the second half. Although the Warriors fought hard, ultimately, Barclay took the win with a final score of 1 to 4.
Giovanni Maldonado, the team captain, said, “It wasn’t the result we wanted, but there were spurts of excellence. For us to do what we did in the first half showed how hard we work. If we can cut down on some of the mistakes we made, we’ll be there. This was a tough team, it was a good challenge and we look forward to the next game.”
Obsuman Waktole performed one of the exhilarating plays of the game when he slid to intercept the ball and blocked an obvious goal. He injured his knee in the process and was carried off the field and made a quick recovery.
Javi Gadea, a freshman, scored the first and only goal of the game for the Warriors. He said, “I’m proud of how the guys played today. We’re in the middle of rebuilding our team and the guys' attitudes just show me that in the future we’re gonna get there. We’ll take it game by game. Win or lose we’re gonna play our hardest.” While the Warriors did not win this game, they’ve won 2 other games this season and tied a third. It’s clear that their attitude doesn’t change whether they win or lose. They remain a tight-knit team with a can-do attitude that will pull them toward future wins.
An anonymous spectator said, “The spirits are up, the points are down, emotions are all around. But my favorite part of every game is watching the way our team stays positive. They’re still a family whether we win or lose. And we’ll keep cheering them on just the same.”
This school year, the Warriors have played nine games with seven remaining. They also have the Central Region tournament at the end of the season, so be sure to come out and cheer on the Warriors to their next victory!
by Olivia Sweet