A strong opening stretch wasn’t enough for the boys varsity soccer team on Jan. 31, as the Giants were defeated 3-0 by Tamalpais after a late first-half goal shifted momentum.
Redwood came out strong, matching Tamalpais possession-for-possession in the opening 30 minutes. However, Tamalpais broke through right before halftime, scoring just before the whistle to take a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Senior center midfielder Jack Wilkins gave insight into the cause of the game’s sudden change of pace.
“We started out really strong, and then just got a little too comfortable,” Wilkins said. “We lost our confidence, especially in the second half, when they scored early.”
That early second-half goal came quickly. Just over a minute after play resumed, Tamalpais capitalized again to double its lead. A few minutes later, with 33:27 remaining
in the second half, Tamalpais added a third goal, putting Redwood in a difficult position for the remainder of the match.
Junior striker Van Bowers explained that the shift came from letting their guard down after a strong start.
“We came out strong, probably our best start of the season,” Bowers said. “But at the end of the first half, momentum switched a little bit. We didn’t come out strong enough for the second half, which cost us a goal and just led to disaster after that.”
Despite the deficit, Redwood responded by putting its senior leadership on the field, helping steady the game and limit further damage.
“We put all our seniors in, and there was a lot of good chemistry and energy,” Bowers said. “We were down 3-0, but we tried to stick together as a team and keep things going.”
Wilkins echoed that effort, noting the team’s resilience late in the match.
“Everyone out there has a lot of heart,” Wilkins said. “Everyone went out there and battled for each other.”
While the loss drops Redwood in league play, the team is already turning its focus forward.
“We’re going to keep going, keep our heads high,” Bowers said. “We move on to MC [Marin Catholic] on Monday and try to get better.”
Redwood will look to regroup quickly as the Giants prepare for their next matchup on Feb. 6 at Marin Catholic, aiming to build off the strong opening minutes that showed their potential, despite the final score.
