Spartans Keep Hopes Of Playoffs Alive.
by Keenan Moore
photo by Kevin Fleming
The TJ soccer team took on the West Cowboys and showed dominance on both sides of the field, winning 5-1 and giving them a fighting chance to make it into the playoffs.
The soccer team was on a losing streak, dropping two games to tough league opponents and almost virtually diminishing their chances of making it into the playoffs. They would have to win their last two games to win a spot into the playoffs. The Spartans certainly started on a good note with an overpowering win.
The Spartans came into the game against the West Cowboys with heavy hearts after their tough loss to Ridgeview Academy, and they knew that it was make or break time for them and that they had to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The game started out just as the Spartans had hoped it wouldn’t, as the Cowboys got a couple of shots on the Spartans, but Senior Keeper Raul Sanchez took charge and stopped all the potential shots in their tracks. The defense showed that they had the potential to hold off the offense of the Cowboys, and it was the Spartans’ turn to step it up. They did this in rousing fashion as seniors Jake Hazan, Tamer Muhammad, and Jorge Jacal all got goals in the first half and gave the Spartans the 3-0 going into the second half.
The second half started at a stand still, as neither of the teams really mounted many drives into the opposing half of the field. This was broken when Junior David Sanchez got a long shot past the Cowboy keeper. The momentum was clearly in the Spartans’ favor and they intended to keep it that way. The Spartans added one more goal to their score, and held off a late surge by the Cowboys, and finished the game with a 5-1 victory. The Spartans are on their way to making it into the playoffs and all they have to do is defeat Kennedy when they come to TJ this Tuesday at 4:15 and they will make it into the playoffs.
