The Girls Varsity Soccer team played in the CIF semifinals on Feb. 23, becoming the first Arcadia team to do so in over a decade. They have come a long way and have worked hard to succeed, and eventually lost against fellow semifinalist Sierra Canyon. The final score was 0-1, with the game being close and many great plays being made. Fans from Arcadia came from all over the city to support the team, cheering the players on to do their best.

The game started with a kickoff from Sierra Canyon, allowing Arcadia to make a hard push up the field, though without success. Some good ball maneuvers at midfield allowed another push. Arcadia enjoyed great success in controlling the ball across the field, Sierra Canyon’s defense was strong, though. Multiple plays were made to score a goal, mainly for Arcadia, though all efforts from either side were thwarted. Both side’s defenses worked too well in putting pressure on the offense. A few close plays even got all the way to the goal, though the strong goalkeepers were able to snatch the ball right before someone was ready to kick, keeping the score at 0-0.

The tense minutes continued as Arcadia pushed aggressively to put a point on the board. With this aggressiveness came a few costs; Alaina Lee was injured in a complication with the ball and had a chance of not returning for the second half. Referees made a plethora of calls, though cases such as a late drive up the field by Sierra Canyon and some rough pushing against Arcadia ended up not being labeled as fouls. Both teams became desperate to break the tie, always with the same result: 0-0. The half finally ended as both teams stayed strong.

Halftime was spent rejuvenating and warming back up for the second half; Arcadia wanted to communicate with each other a bit more and plan as a team on what to do next to get a goal in their favor. The team sat down and discussed where the forwards should run, how the midfield can stop the ball from landing on Arcadia’s side, and lastly how the defense can more effectively cut off specific star players from the other side from dominating the ball. The break then ended as the players retook their positions on the field.

Coach Ryen Piszyk, head coach of the team, talked about Arcadia’s plans for the second half.

“We wanted to keep the heat on Sierra Canyon to hopefully score a goal,” he mentioned. “Scoring was a priority to hopefully send us to the finals.”

The second half was on, as both sides knew this game would be decided on who would be able to last the longest. Rigorous pushes from Sierra Canyon began to mount, causing defenders to have to work extra hard to prevent any goals. Continuous plays ensued up and down the field, and an unfortunate miscommunication between multiple players caused Sierra Canyon to get a strong shot off and score a goal, making the game 0-1. This prompted Arcadia to become even more aggressive as they planned on winning or at least keeping the game going. Fans were energetic, making tons of sound showing their support in getting Arcadia to the finals.

The energy and intensity kept rising with daring plays made by the Apaches, just to get a goal in. Sierra Canyon, knowing that they were in the lead, deliberately took time in running out the clock, further securing a victory over the Apaches. Tons of fouls were made towards the end of the second half, as Arcadia realized the further importance of a point to go on. The Apaches had numerous opportunities to score with the many free kicks given to them. A couple last pushes that got quite close to scoring ended in a goalie grab as the game finally came to a close.

Coach Piszyk commented on the end of the game, explaining how he felt about the state of the team.

“Even though we may have lost, it was still a well played effort, and I’m proud of how far we got. The team gave their best effort, and it makes me hopeful for next year.”

The Girls Varsity Soccer team had a good run, and played hard to continue their run. While they didn’t win and so won’t be moving on, they proved their strength and showed that they can succeed in the future.

Photo courtesy of DCI