The Clarke Central High School varsity soccer team played the Cedar Shoals High School varsity soccer team on April 7. The game ended in a CCHS victory as a result of penalty kicks after overtime.
The girls and boys Clarke Central High School varsity soccer teams beat their respective counterparts from Cedar Shoals High School in the Classic City Championship.
On April 7, the Clarke Central High School varsity soccer teams played against their respective cross-town rivals from Cedar Shoals High School in the Classic City Championship.
The Lady Glads’ game began at 6 p.m. CCHS scored six goals during the first half and three during the second, while CSHS did not score in either half. Clarke Central High School won 9-0 as a result.
CCHS head varsity girls soccer coach Chris Hulse is proud of how his team performed, but more proud of how they composed themselves from beginning to end.
“You know, it’s less about who we play and more about how we play,” Hulse said. “I tell the girls all the time that our concern doesn’t have to be our opponent. It doesn’t matter what jersey they’re wearing or what school they’re from. What matters is how we conduct ourselves. We played really well as a team. There are several things we’ve been working on all season long, but I feel like their communication was very strong.”
CCHS senior Fernanda Becerra, who had one assist and two goals, believes that a large part of her team’s win came down to how they worked together.
“I just feel like we played together, which is why we won,” Becerra said. “We took possession of the team. We didn’t worry about their players, we just worried about ours. It was a team effort, (but I can work on) being more aggressive and (getting in) a good mindset.”
After the first game concluded at around 7:50 p.m., the varsity boys teams from both schools took the field and prepared to play. The second game was much closer, with neither team scoring any goals in the 80 minutes of alloted regulation time.
After the second half ended with no victor, both teams played in two five-minute overtime halves. The score remained 0-0.
The two sides then had to compete in a penalty kick shootout, in which players from each team alternated five times taking penalty kicks from 12 yards away.
Henry Ruiz, CSHS’s goalie, was able to block two of the five shots taken by Clarke Central.
Joseph Cervantes, CCHS’s goalie, was able to block three of the five shots taken by Cedar Shoals. Clarke Central High School won 3-2 as a result.
CCHS head varsity boys soccer coach Chris Aiken, thrilled by game’s outcome, attributed most of the team’s success to their training and practice hours.
“It’s just incredible. It’s hard to put it in words, to beat Cedar in PKs to secure a whole playoff game, it just means so much to all of these soccer players,” Aiken said “I feel so great that they get this opportunity to keep playing in the playoffs. I think that our fitness really showed in the second half. We were able to out work them. We were composed and (just had) a really good overall performance.”
CCHS freshman Andre Lopez, who scored the winning goal for CCHS, reflected on walking up to and taking the final shot.
“There’s just so much adrenaline pumping through,” Lopez said. “Walking up to that (ball) you feel so nervous. But once that goal went in, it was all amazing. Especially since the game was on the line. It was just amazing. Best feeling out there.”
Lopez is satisfied with the team’s win over CSHS, but knows they can continue to improve as they approach the playoffs and a possible state championship.
“I feel like we really out-possessed Cedar a lot, but we could’ve done better in getting hat final ball in to score,” Lopez said. “That’s where we were lacking today, but all-in-all we pushed through like we always do because we’re an amazing team.”
