Varsity Boys Soccer Beats Westminster

Samantha Gitlin and Eduardo Kingston • November 30, 2023

Taro Ochi runs and protects the ball from the Warriors defender behind him. He scored the first goal of the game after Cosme Salas’s freekick hit the wall and rebounded for Ochi to header it in. Ochi has now scored in two games in a row and hopes to continue to score in future games.

On Tuesday, the Varsity Boys Soccer Team beat the Westminster Warriors by a score of 3-0 at the Sean Taylor ‘01 Memorial Field.

Adding another game to the winning streak of 5 games, the team defeated the Warriors after losing to them last year in a close score of 1-0.

The first goal of the game was scored by junior Taro Ochi. Senior and Captain Cosme Salas shot a free kick that rebounded off the wall leaving Ochi an opportunity to get the rebound and header the ball over the Warriors goalie and score the goal. Salas participated in a goal a second time. He shot another freekick that ended up being rebounded by one of the defenders inside of the box. The rebound allowed sophomore and Center Back Jacob Lombard to header it in.

“As a team we were finally able to have our team click and keep the ball on the ground, this allowed us to play out of the back and keep possession in order to get the win over Westminster. Hopefully we continue to do this in order to work towards our undefeated season,” senior and Left Winger Marco Mendoza said.

The third goal, a penalty, was scored by Salas after he got tackled from the back inside of the box.

Captain Cosme Salas leads the team huddle before the start of the second half. Salas was motivating the team to continue to play the way they played the second half. The motivation allowed the team to finish the second half strong and win the game by 3-0. (Eduardo Kingston)

“Returning senior and defending state champion Cosme Salas is on a scoring record. This is his fourth game in a role that he scored. Toro Ochi is also on a hot streak. This is his second game in a row scoring,” Assistant Coach Federico Mor-Tatis said.

Tuesday’s game served as a way to get revenge on last year’s defeat after the Raider’s scored an own goal.

“The team was very hungry for revenge from last year as we lost against them. So we came out as a family hungry to prove that we are the best team in Miami. It’s amazing to be a part of this family as I’ve played and have been best friends with the team since lower school,” Salas said.

After practicing all week, the team used the strategy of two touches instead of dribbling the ball during the game. They quickly passed the ball to each other, allowing everyone to have equal access.

“I think we played well as a team. We were really motivated, as this was one of the few teams we lost to last year. We dominated the game and we were able to play how we practiced. Now we have to continue to practice and hope to play even better on Friday,” senior and Midfielder Lucas Barros said.

The team’s next game is against the NSU University Sharks this Friday at 4pm, where they hope to keep their winning streak alive.

About the Contributors

Samantha Gitlin, Editor-in-Chief

Sami Gitlin is a senior and Editor-in-Chief for "The Raider Voice". This is her third year as a full staff member, and she is looking forward to growing as a writer and a journalist. Sami loves to write about the community, breaking news, and controversial topics.

Eduardo Kingston, Sports Editor

Eduardo Kingston is the sports editor for "The Raider Voice." It's his third year on the staff. Outside of journalism he does swimming and plays water polo. He enjoys watching his soccer team Flamengo play whenever they have games.