Boys' soccer defeats Beverly Hills High School 3-2

After a difficult start to the season, boys’ soccer defeated Beverly Hills High School 3-2 on Friday, Jan. 23, making this the team’s second consecutive win.

For most of the first half, Samo was able to keep possession of the ball, creating several chances to score.

Edwin Hernandez (’15) set up these opportunities by passing several long balls to striker Christian Palomares (’16) and team captain and forward Diego Serrano (’15).

Then in a turnover from Beverly, Serrano was able to force the Beverly goalie to edge from the line, offering Palomares an open goal to shoot. Samo quickly took the lead.

In a span of five minutes, however, Beverly came back with an equalizer from the 18 yard line, tying the game 1-1.

Midfielder Owen Koetters (’18) later stole the ball after a collision with a Beverly defender, scoring and keeping Samo ahead 2-1 at the end of the first half.

Early in the second half, Beverly scored and tied the game 2-2.

Then after what appeared to be a foul committed by Samo in the in the final few minutes of the game, Hernandez ignored the shouting comments from the rival team and kept the ball rolling with a one-touch shot to the back of the goal, ending the game with a final score of 3-2.

“We kept the momentum going from our win against Culver City, and we knew we had to play as a unit to pull off the win,” Hernandez said.

Though the team has struggled earlier in season, with a record of four wins and 8 losses, boys’ soccer has improved recently — winning two consecutive games before Friday’s match.

“We’ve had a rough season, but recently we have been picking it up and it goes to show how hard we have been working,” Koetters said.

According to Coach Corey Prost, the team is working to develop consistent skills, with hopes of ending the season strong.

“Our overall objectives this season are to continue to improve from game to game and to finish the season better than how we started,” Prost said.

After a win on Jan. 30 against Hawthorne High School, the team has been moved up to third place in Ocean League, improving their chances at qualifying for playoffs.