In addition to surprising the competition, the girls’ soccer team bonded and prepared for a promising 23-24 season.
February, 2024
By Isabella Herrera and Elizabeth Landin
Varsity girls soccer participated in the Midway tournament from January 11-13, in Waco, TX. During this tournament all teams had 3 games guaranteed, and had to have the most points in order to play in the championship game. The Varsity girls soccer team was able to stay in a hotel for the time being, but this was only possible because of the work put in by all of them.
In order for the girls to get to Waco they all had to transport themselves in any way they could. From carpooling to driving themselves most girls made it to Waco. A few weren’t able to go because of injuries or other commitments. The girls had their first game on January 11 at 11:00 a.m. against Lancaster High School. The girls felt prepared but they were still a little nervous. Some hours before, they had passed by Bucee’s to get some breakfast and snacks which meant the girls were well fed and ready to go. The game started and in the first four minutes Lancaster scored their first goal during a free kick. However the Cardinals fought back and ended up winning the game 8-3.
They had another game at 7:30, so to pass time they went out to eat, did a little shopping, and went to their hotel. In order to get this hotel they had to do a lot of fundraising because the funds the school provides for athletics aren’t enough. To raise funds, the family of team members Viviana and Samantha Vallejo made and sold barbecue plates.
When the time came to head out for their second game, the girls were locked in and ready to play against Midway High School. Although they played their hearts out, the girls were defeated. The final score for the game was 2-1. Next, they got some food to eat and went back to the hotel to rest.
The next morning they got breakfast in the lobby and prepared for their next game against La Vega High School. The girls felt anxious because the loss the previous evening meant they might not advance to the championship game. KAC was almost tied with La Vega in points. In order for KAC to advance they needed La Vega and Lancaster to tie or Lancaster to win the game 1-0. The girls anxiously waited for the results of the game while eating at Olive Garden to celebrate Viviana Vallejo’s birthday. Finally the results came, and it wasn’t what they hoped for. La Vega ended up winning the game which meant the Cardinals were disqualified from the championship.
They all felt disappointed and were preparing themselves to go back home the next day. Once the team got to the hotel they threw Viviana Vallejo a little surprise party and spent some quality time together. They were all having so much fun when the most unexpected thing happened. The team met up and Coach Jonathan Avila said he had excellent news. La Vega had been disqualified from the championship because they had a dispute with the opposing team and with the refs. This meant KAC would advance to the championship game!
The girls were overjoyed and started focusing on the game once they got the news. They had a talk with the coach over what was expected of them the next day and they began getting ready for the game. The girls felt they had to win this game for Coach Avila. He is one of their biggest motivators, not just because he’s the coach but because he puts in so much dedication and sacrifices many things just to be with the team.
The next morning the team met up in the lobby for breakfast and were ready to start their day. Their game wasn’t until 4:00 PM so they decided to waste some time at the movie theater. They all watched Wonka together. Once the movie was over they started heading out to the stadium to begin setting up and warming up.
From the moment the girls stepped on the field they knew they had to stay focused. They ran a few drills and then they made their way over to Avila to know what the game plan was. The starting eleven got out on the field and were ready for the game to start. Once the game started the team controlled possession of the ball, but could not manage to score. At halftime, the score remained 0-0.
During halftime they had a talk over what they needed to do better as a team and started motivating each other. The same starting 11 got out on the field. The whistle blew and every player did their job. Unfortunately, three minutes into the second half Lorena scored the first goal of the game during a corner kick.
But instead of getting discouraged, the Cardinals continued to fight. With seventeen minutes left during the game, KAC got a free kick. Center back Baily Tavira shot the ball and left wing Lizbeth Dominguez headed it. The ball went into the net!
The girl’s confidence increased thanks to this goal. After this the girls went all out and continued to play their game. Despite being tired and thirsty, every player was working together to win the championship. Fourteen minutes from the first goal passed and once again KAC scored! Midfielder Bella Garcia received a pass from Dominguez and shot the ball into the net.
At this point the team was just playing defensively to prevent the opposing team from scoring another goal. During the last minute of the game, it felt very chaotic. Some girls felt as if they were just panicking and didn’t know what to do and the Cardinal goalkeeper Keila Zuvieta got injured and had to be subbed out. The girls tried their best to stay focused but once again a substitute goalkeeper, Adriana Bernal, got injured and it felt even more chaotic. Ten seconds were left in the game, but because of the injuries time was added. Fifteen extra seconds were given, and even if it wasn’t much it felt like the longest fifteen seconds for the girls. Doing all that they could to get the ball out of their half, the time ran out and the KAC girls became champions of the Midway Classic Gold Bracket!
The Cardinal Post 