The NC Warrior boys Varsity soccer team (0-3) played the Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs (1-2) on Friday, February 5. Heading into their third game of the season, the Warriors hoped for a win this time around. While the team put up a fight, they could not pull a win against the Mustangs.

“Every game we play shows our strong and weak points as a team. Tonight we learned that we have really good defense, but we also need offense to back that up,” Varsity junior defender Eddie Sandavol said.

The starters for NC made promising plays, but did not manage to score. Seniors Elvir Prozorac and Daniel Amah helped set up eye-catching plays, but the Mustangs responded with stellar defense. Though NC struggled offensively, Sandoval helped the Warriors maintain a tough defensive front, which improved from previous games. Both teams made several attempts at scoring, but defense from both teams improved throughout the night. 

“We built a good chemistry and mesh well as a team. This shows both on and off the field. We have fun and forget about everything else, win or lose,” Varsity junior midfielder Aldo Ortega said.

In the second half, the boys came back strong and played a great defensive game. From headers to tackles, NC prevented the Mustangs from scoring. Even with the ball on the NC side of the field, the team managed to outsmart and out strategize the other team. In the last fifteen minutes, sophomore Andre Ayres made a jaw dropping shot at the Mustangs’ goal before the opposing keeper blocked the ball. 

With five minutes left in the game, the lack of focus from the Warriors allowed a score by the Mustangs. NC spent the remaining minutes trying to catch up, but ultimately could not. With a final score of 1-0, the Warriors head back to the drawing board to prepare for their next game against the Wheeler Wildcats on Tuesday, February 9.

“I’m a captain on the team, so I try to help the guys see a loss as something we can learn from and help us progress for the next game,” Varsity Senior midfielder Elvir Prozorac said.