On Dec. 6, the varsity boys’ soccer team defeated Tamalpais High School (Tam) in a highly anticipated game. With a final score of 2-0, the Giants were fighting to keep their lead the entire game. Within the first 15 minutes of the game, the team was able to start out strong with a goal from junior Theo Vasicek.

“I’m glad that we were able to score on them so early on because it definitely helped relieve some stress for the rest of the game and helped us focus more on technical things,” Vasicek said. 

As the team played through the first half, both Tam and Redwood had multiple opportunities to score a goal, but neither team was able to capitalize. The inter-district rivalry between Redwood and Tam often leads to a hypercompetitive environment during games, and both teams fought for an advantage, leading to an extremely physical game. However, the players on the team were well prepared for this. Junior Evan White witnessed this tension fueling his team towards the win. 

“A lot of the guys on Tam play club soccer with a lot of the Redwood guys, so we are definitely super competitive with each other. It’s all friendly, but both teams really wanted to get the win today, which made the game that much more important to win,” White said.

The second half of the game proved to be just as stressful as the start. Redwood maintained a narrow lead of 1-0 as Tam strikers attempted to shoot on junior goalie Jackson Walker, who steadily blocked every shot taken. 

“[Walker] really played great today. There were a couple shots that Tam took that would’ve gone in if [Walker] weren’t so good,” Vasicek said. 

Redwood remained focused throughout the rest of the half, putting in their utmost effort both on the field and on the bench by cheering their teammates on. Celebrating every success, the team kept high spirits and possession for the majority of the second half. With multiple throw-ins, they were able to set up their offense, which led to the next and final goal of the game from senior Owen Swenson. 

“When [Swenson] scored, I think the team really gained a lot of confidence, and we felt pretty sure that we would win the game. It really lifted a lot of pressure off of us because the game was so close to [being] over, and we had a pretty big lead,” White said.

Both teams fought until the end of the game, and Redwood finished with a 2-0 lead, keeping their undefeated record. 

“I hope we can keep this good of a record for the rest of the season. I think we all play pretty well together, and as we get to know each other, we will play even better,” Vasicek said. 

The Giants face off against San Rafael High School this Saturday, Dec. 10, and are looking forward to hopefully more wins.