Two goals in second half sink 7th/8th graders

The 7th/8th grade boys soccer team gave up two goals in the second half, and lost for the third time this season by a score of 3-1 in their penultimate game of the season.

Without two of their top defenders, Brendan and Alfonso, they were forced to play with no subs, and perhaps the defense wore down towards the end of the game.

They fell behind early when the team came out a little flat and right away they were behind the 8-ball, as the other team got on the board first with a goal.

Trailing 1-0 heading into the third, the 7th/8th graders got some luck when the other team scored on their own goal. With Matthew being the closest to the play, he was credited with his second goal of the year.

Despite being down two defenders, the defense played one of their best games of the year, but they couldn't hold up, as the offense was not clicking Saturday afternoon.

Junaid was thrust into goal in the second half, and played very well, but there were too many chances for the other team not to score, as they tacked on two in the latter stages of the game.

At (2-3-2 wins, losses, ties), the 7th/8th grade has already clinched a playoff spot, but their seeding will be determined by next week's contest.

They'll either be the third or fourth place team.

At this point, their two potential playoff opponents have both beaten the 7th/8th graders, so whichever card they draw, it's going to be in an underdog's role.

Luckily, they should have a full squad for the playoffs, and with all the teams playing each other twice already in the season, everyone will have a good idea how the other team plays.

One huge question mark will be who wears the different colored shirt in goal, as the team has used Matthew, Moises, Julian, Brendan and Junaid in goal this year.

In soccer, there needs to be some stability on the back end of the defense, and at this point, it's a big unknown going into the most crucial games of the season.

The offense definitely needed to make the most of their opportunities because the defense continued to fight off the other team until it eventually yielded some goals.

Saturday's opponent was the team the 7th/8th graders played to start the season, when they were shutout 6-0.

So even in the two goal loss, a lot of strides have been made in a short amount of time.