The Liberty High School’s boys soccer team went against Kettle Run, on March 13th. The match was a tough one as the boys had to compete. We spoke with some of the players the day before the match and here is what they had to say. First, we spoke with Coach Gaines the head J.V coach, and he told us that his expectation for the players is for them to keep their heads high, he wants the players to put in their best effort for the match considering Kettle Run is one of our rivals Gaines hopes the outcome for his team is for it to be a victory against Kettle Run. This is the hope of all the players on Liberty’s soccer
teams. I spoke with players such as Henry Flores and he told us that he expects this match to be a tough one but if the team puts in the work and shows their best effort the match could result in a victory.
The result of the J.V match was a draw of 2-2. The scorers on the Liberty side were Will Bonilla and Luis Ernesto. In the Varsity game, the game unfortunately ended in a loss for the boys at Liberty with the score being 2-4, with both teams using their best effort in the match. For the JV game, the score at 10 minutes from halftime was 0-0 but luckily Will and Luis were ready to excite the fans. Bonilla and Ernesto both scored making the game 2-0 by halftime. Coach Gaines gave the team an incredible
halftime pep talk. With the team inspired, the Eagles were ready to head back up on the field and try their best, and that’s what they demonstrated. With every clear, every counterattack, the Eagles were closer and closer to their goal. With 10 minutes remaining on the clock, the Eagles were tied with the Kettle Run Cougars. The team put forward their best effort and the match ended in a tie. After the match, Coach Gaines gave the team a talk after evaluating the match.
After the Varsity team walked onto the field ready for their match, Coach Cox spoke to the team momentarily to hype them up and then went with his team to warm up on his side of the field. The team warmed up for around 20 minutes, with the team warming up on their passes, their shooting, and the goalkeepers warming up by saving. When they finished warming up, Coach Cox called the team together and gave them a pep talk to inspire them and excite his players for the match. Shortly after, the starting 11 was called up to the field, and kick-off started. With possession being held more by Liberty, they managed to score the first goal of the match. The
goal was made by senior midfielder, Kevin Menese! Then with 12 minutes till halftime, Bryan Viera and Paul Dumitiri from Kettle Run scored and managed to make the game 2-1.
As halftime approached, Coach Cox gathered his team and gave them a strategic halftime talk. He strategized with the team and he critiqued them on what they could improve on. With the team excited for the second half, they ran onto the field with a few substitutions. The team was putting on their
best effort against Kettle Run, with sophomore centreback, Daniel Mejia scoring a header making the game 2-2. With the team having the game with a tie, they pushed forward and worked as a team. They tried their best the whole match but unfortunately Kettle Run managed to make the game 4-2 in their favor.
