The Highlander boys varsity soccer team traveled to South Lakes on Tuesday night to battle the South Lakes Seahawks. The game was one sided throughout as the Highlanders cruised to a 6-0 victory led by senior forward Joe Margita, who notched five goals in the outing.
“The biggest key tonight was not giving up any goals off of set pieces and making sure we finish the game once we build up a lead,” head coach Leland Jameson said.
The first half started off slow with both teams jockeying for position on the field. Eventually, the Highlanders were able to gain a positional advantage and Margita rocketed one home for the Highlanders.
“We got out to a slow start but once we got that first goal, they all [goals] came after we broke the seal,” Margita said.
The second half was a continuation of the Highlanders’ impressive offense. The constant pressure led to turnovers by the Seahawks and the Highlanders capitalized off of them. Margita tallied three more goals in the second half to bring his goal total to five. South Lakes had a couple opportunities to score in the second half but couldn’t take advantage of them due to the solid goalkeeping by senior goalkeeper Sebastion Carmenates.
“Our chemistry led to the dominance today,” senior midfielder Nico Falconi Gutierrez said. “We are going to repeat it until we get to the state finals.”
The Highlanders will look to continue their dominance in the next couple of weeks against challenging opponents such as Mt. Vernon, James Madison, Washington-Liberty and Fairfax High School. The team’s endurance and grit will be tested in these tough matchups.
“We’re looking to improve all assets of our game daily,” Jameson said. “We took care of business tonight, which is a big step for us.”
