On Jan. 7, the AHS Boys Varsity Soccer team faced Burroughs High School from Burbank with a home field advantage. Being at the Varsity level, both schools showed everything they had to offer, and as expected, the level of competition was high. The bleachers were filled with supportive AHS students and a handful of parents.
Starting the first half were players #19 (Robert Callahan), #5 (Jason Wao), #23 (Matthew Chung), #11(Heriberto Roman), #17 (Danny Robles), #18 (Michael Offstein), #9 (Claudio Moschella), #6 (Quinn Hettich), and #2 (Wesley Chen). The Apaches started the game off with strength and resolve.
Soon after the ball dropped, the Apaches headed an offensive rush led by #2. To AHS’ dismay, Burroughs managed to sneak one past the Apaches’ goalie at 37:18, but this would not discourage our players. As Arcadia fought to take possession of the ball, #2 was able to draw a penalty from the other team allowing #5 to get a free kick. The Apaches then transitioned to defense where #19 and #18 made sure the opposing team did not reach their net. At 28 minutes, Burroughs was penalized for a foul on #2 and #11 took a free kick. Burroughs eventually prevailed and scored at 23:22, though the game was far from over.
A free kick was awarded to #13 (Harit Talwar), which #11 took, not long after he was subbed in for #9. Burroughs scored at 18:20 and despite things looking bleak for The Apaches, they pushed on. This perseverance resulted in the Apaches scoring on a free kick by #11 at 15:51. The Apaches went on to get another one at 12:00 when #6 passed to #11 who beat the goalie. The score was now 2-3. Near the end of the first half, The Apaches fought hard to keep Burroughs from getting the upper hand. The Apaches had yet another exciting moment as a result of #10 and #23’s chemistry, and finished the first half out strong.
A goalie change marked the start of the second half. With #5, #18, #19, #23 playing defensively and on their toes, Burroughs was forced back, allowing #13 to give #6 a pass, which led to an offensive opportunity. Unfortunately, this left The Apaches net unguarded, allowing Burroughs to score at 33:50.
As the game picked up pace, in both intensity and speed, both teams suffered minor injuries. The sports medicine team, who was on standby, would treat two Burroughs players, one with a bloody eye and the other with a hurt leg, as well as #10, who also hurt his leg. A penalty on Burroughs, who was proving to be a physical team, awarded #19 a field kick.
Shortly after #11 passed to #5 who took a shot on net. Once again The Apaches were given the advantage for a foul on #2, #17 took the corner kick at 24:41 but was unable to score. Burroughs capitalized on the missed corner kick using the opportunity to get a breakaway which #5 hustled back to stop. After yet another amazing play between #11, #9, and #2, as well as a foul for Burroughs and a few corner kicks, the game was coming to an end. The Apaches subbed in #13 for #10 and #3 for #23, giving the necessary support for #9 to make a final rush on the net. Seconds before the buzzer rang, Burroughs scored, putting the score at 2-5 for AHS.

Photo by VICTORIA CHENG