The girls soccer team lost to rival Mountain View High School (MVHS) in a close game today, February 1.

The game started off evenly, and neither team was able to break into the other’s offensive half. LAHS picked up momentum slowly, and 10 minutes into the first half drove down the field after an ankle-breaking juke by mid-fielder junior Sydney Carr.

The offensive opportunity resulted in two corners and an overall excellent scoring opportunity for the Eagles; however, the team wasn’t able to capitalize.

MVHS quickly responded in a long free kick, which was deflected to the sideline by a diving save. After a few breakaways, the Spartans were steadily building momentum.

The Eagles then brought pressure and relentlessly shelled the MVHS goalie. After a few failed clears, MVHS was still unable to shake off the Eagles’ attack. Sophomore Julia Goupil cut through the defensive and delivered a cross to freshman Allie Crum, who buried it to give the team a 1-0 lead.

The Spartans delivered a silencing blow only 30 seconds later, putting away a corner kick to tie up the game. The teams went into halftime tied up.

A few minutes into the second half, the Spartans drove one home to take a 2-1 lead. They didn’t relinquish it for the rest of the game. Despite a few strong drives by the Eagles, they were unable to respond.

While the close game showed an improvement over the team’s previous matchup with MVHS, when the team lost 0-3, the team would have liked to come away with the win.

“[Coach Armando Luna’s] trying to push us to be better, because he knows that we can play better than we are playing right now,” junior Mia Venuti said.

The Eagles will face off against Gunn this Friday, February 3.