A Hard-Fought Game for The Rays
January 27, 2023
The Rays played their final game against the Lions of First Baptist Academy on January 26th. It was a long and hard fought game that came out after over 100 minutes of playing time.
The game started pretty well for The Rays as they maintained their pressure on FBA and made some great passes throughout. One play led to a goal from Chase Polley, giving MIA the lead for their game.
Just before halftime, the Lions fought back harder using their bodies and broke through MIA’s defense, which led to their first goal before half time and a downed player for The Rays. Senior center back, Colby Chute, was dealt a heavy hit that left him lying on the ground for a while.
“I was worried that Colby wouldn’t be able to get back out on the field after halftime. He is a strong young man, and I’m proud of him and happy that he was able to rest during halftime and get back out and play,” said head coach Señor Fernando Higuera.
When the final buzzer rang, the score was 1-1 and the game went into penalty kicks. MIA’s Alan Thomas and Ivan Harrison scored their penalty kicks, and FBA scored 3 out of 4 shots, giving them the win.
“It was a lot of pressure, going into penalty kicks. I was worried that we wouldn’t make a single one. I’m glad that I contributed to the ones that we were able to make. We played a hard game,” said junior captain Ivan Harrison, a midfielder on the team.
Though it was a tough loss, The Rays say that the memories, the lessons, the vibe that this team had will always be cherished.
