Girls and boys soccer both wrapped up their regular season in February, with the boys finishing on an impressive 14-6-4 overall record and the girls ending 9-14-3 in the standings. Although the girls’ post-season was in jeopardy, they were able to slip in last-minute through a wildcard game, securing both Oxford teams a playoff spot. Unfortunately, the boys lost their first playoff game, while the girls advanced all the way to the quarterfinals.
The girls’ deep playoff run came at the heels of an underwhelming season, finishing with a losing record. However, after stumbling through the regular season, the girls finally caught some wind in their sails entering the postseason. Facing off against St. Paul on Feb. 6, the Lady Patriots came to play in a win or go home wildcard game, keeping their season alive in a 2-1 victory.
Finally in the playoffs, the girls matched up against Environmental Charter High School on Feb. 8 in their first round, winning 2-1. Making the win even more impressive, Environmental Charter had been 7-4-2 for the season. However, their next matchup, their first playoff home game, would be even tougher. With the girls’ second round match slated for Feb. 10, their opponent, Excelsior Charter, came into the game 13-3-0.
Facing an undefeated team, the girls dug deep and secured the win on Oxford’s home field. In a late-game thriller, the team went into OT and pulled through on a penalty kick. Freshman Maya Diaz delivered the eventual game-deciding goal, and the Patriots edged ahead toward the quarterfinals. Although they went on to lose in the quarterfinals against Marantha, the team pulled out a successful season and made it farther than they ever have with the current seniors.
“I honestly didn’t think we were gonna get that far this year, but we did,” center defender senior Rachel Hingco said. “I was pretty close with my teammates this year, and I definitely think it was team morale that helped. Our leadership also helped out because I was a senior this year. We were able to take charge, and the rest of the team looked up to the seniors.”
Hingco also pointed to improved team passing and defense, as well as the arrivals of freshmen Maya Diaz and Adriana Munoz. Welcome additions to the varsity team, they were key players in the girls’ run this year.
Switching over to the boys, they finished with an impressive overall record. Funnily enough though, their league record was 5-2-3, the exact same as it was last year. Both of the boys’ losses came at the hands of Artesia, and they also drew two matches against Cerritos. Aside from the league powerhouses, the boys did little but rack wins in the win column this year.
On Feb. 7, the boys went up north for an away game and took on Paraclete in their first playoff match. A more worrisome opponent, Paraclete finished 10-5-2 in their regular season, and the boys had their work cut out for them. Faced against a strong team and a bleaky storm that day, the Patriots lost 0-2.
“It was a tough game to go all the way up to Lancaster and lose. We’re a very second-half team, and I feel like if we got into the game earlier on and absorbed the gravity of the situation we could have done better,” Co-Captain senior Michael Rodriguez said. “A mistake on the defensive part early let a goal through, and it made it hard to come back.”
Rodriguez also gave special props to goalkeeper sophomore Mac Tiettmeyer, center back junior Cameron Oates, and fellow Co-Captain senior Javier Luna for their performances this year. Looking toward next season, the varsity team will miss their seniors, but the team mostly comprises juniors who can fill in the gaps next year.
“They’ll be fine being seniors, having had the chance to understand the game a little more and grow into their positions,” Rodriguez said. “I’m really unsure of how far they’ll get, but there’s a very high chance for them to get farther than we did this year.”
