On Sept. 10, Skyline’s Men’s Varsity Soccer team went head to head in the freezing cold against the Merced College Blue Devils. 

As soon as the whistle was blown, players from both sides were fighting for control of the ball. The Trojans were mad dogs as they pounded the grass forcing the ball down the field. The Merced Blue Devils met Trojan offense with a wall of defense, not letting the ball even come close to their goal box. 

For the first half of the game, there were many good plays between both teams. Trojan goalie, Alejandro Munoz, was able to make a couple impressive saves to keep the score at a stalemate of 0-0. However, the Blue Devils were able to snag the upper hand by scoring the first goal of the game. 

Down by one, the Trojans got fired up and pushed even harder down the field. Brian Shafer slammed the ball up into Merced’s goal to put a point on the board for Skyline. 

With the score tied 1-1, it was anybody’s game, and just like the first 30 minutes of the game, both teams played aggressively to secure control of the ball. 

Unfortunately, right before the end of the first half, Merced scored a goal to make the score 1-2. 

With another 45 minutes thrown up on the board for the second half of the game, the Trojans are down by one. 

After switching sides, the referee blew his whistle and the game began. The Trojans kept pressing the ball down the field, but every time, Merced was able to steal the ball back. Both teams worked their hardest to keep the ball away from the goal. The back and forth action continued nonstop for the rest of the second half. 

Ultimately, Merced was able to secure the win by keeping the score 1-2.