After a draw on Tuesday, Loyola takes on the field against the Cathedral Phantoms. This is a very entertaining game every year. Both teams have very talented players. The key to this game was “Loyola needs to have a strong start and strike early,” said Senior Erik Estrada.
First half
40 minutes on the clock and Cathedral starts with the ball. We see Loyola push forward trying to get an early push. With the 30 minute left on the clock both look strong and there are an equal amount of shots on goal. Cathedral shot straight at goal but junior Max Matthews is there to save any ball coming his way. Loyola would get the ball on Cathedral area but the strong defense would stop the plays Loyola had. On Loyola’s side, the defense was strong as well, running a 3 man formation with Senior Joe Padden at center back, Senior Adrian Camacho on left back, and Sophomore Jaun Carlos Bermudez. Cathedral had trouble breaking this defense. A decent amount of fouls were also seen in the first half by both teams. With less than 5 minutes left of the first half Loyola fouled very close to the goalies box. Cathedral was given a free kick. They kicked the ball up and the players scramble inside. The ball bounces around before a Cathedral player comes in and headers the ball into the goal, opening up the score 1-0 in their favor. Loyola players looked at the refs asking for an offsides call but nothing was called. The half ends 1-0 with Cathedral in the lead.
Second half
40 minutes on the clock and the ref blows the whistle. Loyola with the ball first looking to strike first and tie the game while Cathedral looking to increase their lead and close out the game strong. During the half, Coach Walter told his players “To slow down and take control of the game” as well as have possession of the ball more. With 32 minutes left, Senior Alejandro Sanchez defending a Cathedral player is kneed in the groin area. Loyola players yell at the ref due to it being a very unnecessary play. The ref gives the Cathedral a red card, ejecting him from the game. Alejandro is on the floor for a good minute but gets up and walks off to the bench. He later comes back in around 3 minutes after. With 22 minutes left in the game, Cathedral has a fast break and takes advantage of it. With only a couple Loyola defenders back, Cathedral is able to get past them and score, making the score now 2-0 Cathedral. Loyola keeps on fighting, refusing to give up. There is a slight frustration at the refs from players on both teams and even from the fans due to wrong calls and late calls. Loyola looks for any error from Cathedral to take advantage of and put one on the board. Cathedral, not letting their guard down despite being up 2-0, makes it harder on Loyola. Time becoming Loyola’s enemy, they keep pushing in hopes of a miracle. With only 6 minutes left Loyola gets the ball into the goalies box and Sophomore Marco Bottene has a nice touch and scores. With the score now being 2-1, Loyola is pushing for any last hopes with only four minutes left. They play at a faster tempo to get any chances and leave their side open, which Cathedral uses this to their advantage. On a Cathedral fast break, Loyola is left with only two defenders and Cathedral outruns them, scoring for the third time. With basically no time left, this goal seals the game. Cathedral wins 3-1.
The Next Game
Loyola takes the field at home on Thursday December 9th against Hamilton High School at 5 pm. Loyola will look to fix those mistakes seen in the Cathedral game and hope for a win to even out the record at 1-1-1.