First Half:

The Cubs start the game off with the ball and quickly lose their possession, yet their defense remains strong. Loyola’s passing game looks solid, but they have a hard time keeping up with the speedy Hamilton High strikers once they lose possession. The Cubs get it back, but aren’t able to capitalize on their offensive drives and are held to zero shots on goal. Hamilton, however, has two shots on goal on Loyola in the first 30 minutes, and a goal in minute 32 after a tough lost possession right in front of the goalie box. Despite the Cubs’ current struggles, tonight is a big night for their sophomores with three of them on the starting lineup: Juan Carlos Bermudez, Marco Bottene, and Sebastian Gabella. 

Score: 1-0 Hamilton

Second Half:

In the first 3 minutes of the second half, Hamilton scores their second goal of the night and continues to beat Loyola on the offensive end, going on fast breakaway runs. In the eighth minute, a shot on goal for Loyola helps turn the momentum, and at minute 9, Marco Bottene sinks a goal into the back of the net. This goal is Bottene’s second of the season, who leads the team in goals scored. Loyola starts to get more shots on goal, but their long passes to the middle at crucial moments and inability to finish on most of their chances prevent them from tying the game up. At minute 26, Hamilton scores again, going up two points to make the score 3-1. At minute 28, Gabella is injured, which further dampens the mood, given that he was a key player.  No goals are scored for the rest of the night, and the Cubs fall to Hamilton despite their best efforts.

FINAL: 3-1 Hamilton

Postgame Recap:

Loyola went up against a good team in a tough tournament, which was structured to get the team accustomed to playing against serious competitors. Loyola’s still figuring out their midfielder situation, although tonight provided good examples of spaces the team can improve on. However, the Cubs saw improvement when they held possession of the ball for 88% of the first half and were able to switch up the field numerous times, both of which they had focused on in their last practices.

Marco Bottene put the team’s weakness in this game perfectly when he said, “We need more practice on finishing and more composure when we’re in the box. We’re getting in the box, but it’s that last pass or play that we’re missing.”

Next Game:

The now 0-2-1 cubs face off against Clovis high school tomorrow night at Smith Field.