On Feb. 5, after an intense match, the Samohi girls varsity soccer team suffers their first loss since the beginning of the season to Culver City High School with a final score of 1-2. The vikings still stand atop Ocean League with a record of 8-1-1.As the Samo players took the field, the tension in the air was palpable. The crowd was lively as many of the opposing team’s families had shown up and were rooting loudly for their players. It was also senior day for the team so there was some pressure on them to win the match.The whistle blew and the girls were already in motion, maintaining possessions and going after the ball fiercely whenever it was lost. The Vikings played much more physically than they usually do. Culver City quickly picked up on the greater amount of aggression and the match became a whirlwind of passes and shots. But Samo’s level of skill and proficiency proved too much for Culver in the beginning of the first half. They were able to fire a shot into the top right hand corner of the goal, but unfortunately it was marked as offsides in a questionable call by the referee. Again the level of play and aggression mounted up after this first shot, and Culver was able to push Samo back and for six minutes. The ball was in play primarily in Samo’s defensive third as they desperately tried to get rid of the ball and pass it out to their forwards. Culver was finally able to break away from Samo’s defensive back and shoot, but was saved by goalkeeper Madeline Kresin (’17). After that, the half was pretty balanced; while both sides fought hard for the ball, neither side was able to maintain possession of it for long. Finally, at the end of the half a penalty kick was awarded to Culver after a foul called on Samo in the box. Culver scored the PK, ending the intense half 1-0 in Culver’s favor. The second half started and both teams were just as invigorated as they were the first half. After a serious pep talk from head coach Jimmy Chapman, the entire team was really ready to score a goal. But Culver was just as determined as they were in the first. Neither team seemed to be gaining an advantage over the other. Towards the middle of the half, with the game ramping down, Culver’s midfielder made a run down the side, crossing the ball into two open Culver forwards who finished the ball into the corner, resulting in a 2-0 Culver lead. As the intensity on the Samo side increased, Samo forward Gabrielle Clouse (’16) slipped through Culver’s defense with the ball, outmaneuvered the goalie and kicked the ball right past her into the net. The sidelines went wild at this and Culver looked worried. Samo’s pace increased and they created various opportunities, however, Samo was not able to finish and the game ended with a final score of 2-1, Culver. Despite the disappointing loss, Coach Chapman remained very supportive of his team.“Throughout the entire game really, we had a lot of chances to score,” Chapman said. “But despite losing, I think the team played great, they just had this energy in the that they didn’t usually have and it was really good. They fought a quality opponent and realized they had to up their game and they did.”  Chapman attributed the loss to an excess in acting without thinking and states that if Samo replayed their opponent, the result would be different.“I believe we lost because we had a bit too much energy and bit too little strategy, but once we bring the strategy back on par with the energy, I know we could easily beat Culver City if we fought them again,” Chapman said.

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