January 16, 2020, Lincoln boys soccer went head to head against Leigh High School. Leigh’s soccer team is in the same league as Lincoln, A League . The weather wasn’t pleasant, it was cold, windy, and pouring, but that didn’t stop these boys from playing. 

Junior Varsity

At the start of the game the rain began pouring down heavily on the players, making the field difficult to play on. However, both teams kept up their stamina and tried their best to perform to their fullest potential. For the first half of the game, it was a rough start for both teams since no one scored (0-0), but for the second half, Lincoln picked up the pace and began to take the game a lot more serious. Besides how cold and windy it was, Lincoln scored three goals and kept their defense up, which resulted in Lincoln’s win against Leigh: 3-0. 

Izaiah Anaya, a freshman, was interviewed in regards of the game, and how the team as well as himself felt about the game and the overall performance of the junior varsity soccer team. Anaya mentioned, “At first it was a rough start trying to work together and working towards playing as a team, but as the season goes on we have been getting better, and the team has been pretty solid.” As for the Leigh game, Anaya told Lion Tales what was the most efficient formation was during the game, “The three line with the two strikers, since we score a lot with that one.” Overall, Anaya said that it was a great game and the team was definitely challenged. 

Varsity

It was a tough start to the game with Leigh scoring the first goal in the first half, according to Elias Pedroza, a senior, who was interviewed by Lion Tales. Pedroza said, “Honestly I was a bit worried at first because we had only warmed up for about fifteen minutes and Leigh had been warming up for the past hour. Which showed, as we got caught sleeping in the first couple of minutes and went down by one.” However, Lincoln reacted quickly and began scoring goals, they were quicker on their feet and very much aware of what had to be done to win. Lincoln won against Leigh with the final score: 4-1, adding another win for Lincoln. 

Lion Tales asked Pedroza about how the season has been so far for the team, he said that, “We’ve improved tons since preseason. Thanks to a lot of adjustments and changes made in our formation and the way we play we’ve been able to go undefeated in season so far. Three wins and one tie.” Lion Tales was curious to know what was causing this improvement in the teams performance; Pedroza mentioned that the formations had been effective in the past and current games, and he clarified that, “So far this season we’ve used three formations. A 3-5-2, a 5-4-1 and a 4-2-3-1 which has worked the best. The 4-2-3-1 allows us to be stable defensively, but also dangerous in the attack. So far we’ve scored eleven goals and have only let in one, staying undefeated in our first four season games.” 

Not only did Lion Tales ask about the performance of the players, but also about their bond and how that has contributed to their success. Kevin Montoya, a senior, said, “We’ve improved as a team since the beginning of the season until now… it’s like a family now…it’s not friends no more it’s just… a family.”

Gallery • 61 Photos

Lincoln boy's junior varsity soccer team playing against Leigh High School. January 16, 2020, Located at Leigh's football field (Andrea Saldana).