The varsity boys soccer team lost 1-2 to B-CC Tuesday night after many defensive mishaps. Although it was a rough night for the team, junior striker Michael Tillman scored WJ’s only goal, with an assist by junior midfielder Felipe Antunes.

The game started on a bad note, when B-CC scored a goal in the first minute of the game. Coach Mike Williams attributes the loss to this bad start.

“We started off wrong,” said Williams. “We made two mistakes on the very first play that were very critical and allowed B-CC to get a free kick right on top of our box.”

Once B-CC scored their first goal, junior defender Jonathan Fix sensed the drop in energy amongst his teammates.

“We’re almost always down, in the beginning of the game or at the half, and it’s really difficult once you’re down to try and make up the difference,” said Fix. “We stop playing with as much intensity after they score.”

Williams believes that his team has been well-matched against all the teams they have played so far this year. However, the team has gotten in a rut, and Williams believes that the team has let too many goal opportunities slip away, as players are missing chances for shots right on goal.

“What we’ve struggled with this year [is] we’ve let the opponent score an easy goal, [and] through simple mistakes we are put into a position where we have to fight back,” said Williams.

Fix hopes that teamwork will help the team’s chances of winning.

“We could knock the ball around them all day, but then we have these lapses where people try to do too much by themselves,” said Fix.

The boys are scheduled to play Sherwood, a top team this year, on Thursday. Williams feels hopeful his team can pull through with a win.

“[It is our] chance to make a statement and prove that we are a squad that can beat a top opponent,” said Williams. “We just have to step up to the plate and start off strong.”