By: Noah Nunez
General Reporter
The Men’s Soccer team earned another win on the home field against St. Thomas Aquinas College, taking over the game with a clean 2-0.
With an impressive display of confidence following multiple injury recoveries, Head Coach Reuben Ayarna believed this aspect of their game plan is what led the team to their victory.
“We felt confident in our competition that we’re gonna fight for every single ball, and the guys came out, and then they showed it, and so I’m really proud of them for playing that way,” Reuben said.
The Owls started off the game with the first goal against St. Thomas by forward Izan Villa, a freshman, making it the first of his career.
Villa recognized the skill St. Thomas put on display throughout the match but found a simple solution against what they put on the table.
“They fight a lot; it was a good team,” Villa said. “They are good with both, but we do things better than them, so we win”
Outperforming a lot of what St. Thomas was putting on the field in this game was what the Owls were truly out to do. They proved that despite the difficulties, they were able to make it over the challenge St. Thomas set forth.
One of the major difficulties the Owls found themselves dealing with in this game was St. Thomas’s goalie who helped them play such a wonderful game and proved the biggest challenge.
“Listen, having a goalie like that, with that height and also being able to play from the back, well, it’s really beautiful to see from them. I think they are really good too,” Reuben said.
Midfielder Solomon Aidoo, a junior, found the team to be the hardest challenge they have faced so far.
“To be honest, they gave us a really hard time. Even though we won the game, but I think so far they are one of the best teams we’ve played so far; they are really, really good,” Solomon said.
Even with the Owls holding the majority of possession over the ball, a flaw in their plan became evident that could have cost them the game.
Often the university would lose the ball, blocking themselves from having total control over the score and giving St. Thomas more opportunities to catch up than they might have wanted.
“We didn’t take care of the ball, and when you’re up by a goal, and the team is chasing like that, you cannot give them any chance to try to create chances,” Reuben said.
