Boys' soccer shines amid the dark clouds

Caio RodriguesStaff WriterThe dark clouds were not enough to stop the Samo boys’ varsity soccer team from outshining the Australian Club Team on Nov. 17 at John Adams Middle School, with a final score of 2-0. The season-opening match was a challenge by the Australian team.The first half  brought many scoring opportunities for both teams. While the Australian team only used quick counterattacks in an attempt to score, Samo took advantage of every opportunity .After receiving a cross, senior forward Kevin Eyler killed the ball on his chest and scored during the last minute of the first half.At the beginning of the second half, senior forward Juan Pavón scored the second and final goal of the game, and cemented Samo's lead.The victory was especially important for Samo's morale, because from last year’s squad, only six remain.Although Samo won, Pavón still believes that the team needs to improve before their season starts.“I think that it was a different kind of game,” Pavón said. “Their defense was really good, but our touches were bad. But [in the second half] we got better first and second touch, which gave us the victory.”Captain Manny Serrano also attributes the success to the second half of the game.“We got comfortable with the formation, and the communication was better,” Serrano said. “We have a lot of talent, [but] we are still getting to know each other, improving the team chemistry. Once we get it, we will definitely be able to play against any team.”crodrigues@thesamohi.com