Aztecs go to semi finals
Eric Tilley
February 9, 2010
Filed under Sports
Corona’s boys’ varsity soccer team has entered the state tournament with a lot of momentum from their tournament and regular season success.
“In all of our games, we try to get a goal in the fist five minutes,” junior Dylane Ndoye said. “It’s really important to take away the other team’s confidence as early as possible.”
So far, this strategy has proved to be effective for the Aztecs. They advanced to the second round after defeating No. 12 Mesa. Then, they proceeded to beat No. 4 Kofa by a score of 4-1.
The Aztecs will play their semi final game against Salpointe on Feb. 10, at 5 p.m. at Campo Verde High School. Even though Salpointe is the top seed in the state, the Aztecs remain confident in their chance of ultimately winning the championship.
“We are taking it one game at a time, giving it 100% for every minute of the game,” Ndoye said. “We haven’t come this far to lose. We’re going to give it everything we’ve got.”
Before the state tournament, the team won the Tempe Diablo Soccer Classic in a blowout championship game against Desert Mountain. The Aztecs lead for the entire game, which ended at a score of 8-1.
“We had a really good game,” junior Graham Hemmingson said. “There were lots of fans out there for us and they were really loud, so it ended up being a lot of fun.”
Overall, the team had a very strong performance in the tournament. The Aztecs outscored their opponents 25-3 in just six games.
“It was a really good experience for us,” Hemmingson said. “We are really confident going into the state playoffs now that we know what it takes to win an entire tournament.”
The Aztecs were also impressive in their regular season games. They finished the year on an eight-game win streak in which they did not give up a single goal.
“Our defense has been really solid lately,” goaltender Matt Bersano said. “It has been a big part of the reason why we have been playing so well. If we continue to play like this, we’re going to have a great shot at the championship.”
