“Opportunities came from a variety of places,” varsity soccer coach Mia Onodera said. “We worked together, but we just couldn’t tie it up.”

Coming into the game, Los Gatos was favored to win with an 8-1-2 record as opposed to the home team’s 3-5-1.
    
“We have a lot of talent,” Onodera said, “but we just can’t score. The last three games we’ve lost one-zero.” Beyond the loss to Los Gatos, MVHS also lost to Gunn on Jan. 7 and to Palo Alto on Dec. 17.

Immediately after the conclusion of the game, Onodera instructed the players to do pushups, crunches, and also to run laps back and forth between the sidelines of the field. When asked by a player whether this was punishment for losing the game against Los Gatos, Onodera responded by saying that losing the game had nothing to do with it. In fact, she stated that it was preparation for the three upcoming games the team has next week.

“I guess that one hardship that the team faces would be the fact that we moved up a division this year,” varsity senior Kevin Chang said, “and the teams we play are a lot harder.”

But even with the formidable competition the new division provides for the team, the Matadors are still trying their best to stay ahead of the game.

“After this, we’re probably going to practice shooting more,” varsity junior Sung Woo Lee said. “We’re probably going to do a little conditioning too.”