Partly cloudy skies and 63-degree weather; beautiful day for a soccer game, wouldn’t you say? We joined the high school girls soccer team at Valley Christian High School, on Tuesday, 13 Jan. The team and Valley Christian have always been competitive in years past, so the girls were more than ready to get the show on the road come game time.

Unfortunately, several of the girls for Horizon Honors had to sit out due to injury or sickness, leaving just enough players, 11 to be exact, to fill the field. However, this meant there would be no substitution opportunities for the players.

The match against Valley Christian was a tough one from the beginning. The Valley players were quick on their feet and strategic in their plays, and even scored the first goal. That seemed to motivate senior Savannah Cunningham, or “The Tank”, as she raced ahead of everyone in her path and scored a goal.

Following this tremendous feat, disaster struck. Horizon Honors’ only goalie, the talented junior Ariel Daniel, was diving to save the ball but was accidentally kicked in the head. After a few minutes of inspection, she was escorted off the field. With Daniel out of the game, and no one available on the bench to replace her, junior Leah Skromme stepped up to the plate to take her position. This left Horizon Honors down a player and with a goalie who had never played goalie before.

Daniel was able to reenter the game after some time, but it seemed to be too late. The game ended with a score of four to one in Valley Christian’s favor. Despite their loss, the girls agreed it was a good game and are now looking forward to their next opportunity to take on the school.

The girls soccer team’s next game will be on Thursday, 15 Jan. at home against Saguaro.