SAMOHI — A 2-1 loss to Loyola on Tuesday has sent Santa Monica’s boys soccer team to 0-2-1 on the season, but Head Coach Serafin Rodriguez isn’t panicking.
“We had a pretty bad game all around,” he said before practice on Wednesday. “But, it could have gone either way.”
Loyola went up first, but Samohi tied just before the half. Rodriguez said that both defenses played well, but a few defensive breakdowns on his side ultimately lost the game as Loyola scored the deciding goal with just 10 minutes remaining.
Daniel Hulbert scored Samohi’s lone goal on a kick Rodriguez called impressive.
The game saw the return of Christian Marcial, who had yet to take the field this year. The returning starter played 10 minutes in what Rodriguez said was a tune-up for the experienced midfielder. Marcial is expected to start against Long Beach Wilson today at John Adams Middle School at 3:30 p.m.
“We have been missing him,” Rodriguez said.
Considering that Wilson defeated Loyola earlier this season, Rodriguez expects the game to be a challenge for his young team.
Hoping to give the team a bit of motivation, Rodriguez said he expects to make a few changes to the starting lineup.
“We are learning from all of this,” he said. “The players are young. We expected shakiness in the beginning.
“We’re not devastated.”
While he wasn’t specific about which changes may be made to the depth chart, Rodriguez was firm in his belief that his team can rebound from this slow start.
“We’re concerned, yes,” he said, “but, we’re not getting frustrated.”
Youth football wins title<p>
The Santa Monica Vikings Youth Football and Cheer, Jr. Midgets were crowned champions of the Pacific Coast Youth Football Conference this season.
The Midgets defeated the Twin Cities Wolverines for the championship, 40-20. The team finished the regular season 6-2.
This was the third title for Santa Monica Youth Football this season. The Mitey Mites and the Pee Wee teams also won titles in their respective divisions.
Samohi girls hoops fall to Serra<p>
Santa Monica’s girls basketball team fell to Serra 50-46 on Tuesday during the Redondo Tournament.
The loss sends Samohi to 4-2 on the season. The Vikings defeated Palos Verdes during the first game of the tournament on Monday.
The Vikings are scheduled to play Friday as part of the tournament, but their opponent has yet to be determined.
