Heading into Friday’s game, Sacred Heart Prep’s boys varsity soccer team sat in first place of the West Bay Athletic League with a league record of 7-1. However, Menlo stood nipping at their heels in second place with a league record of 6-1. With shutdown defense and two goals scored by sophomore Alessandro Valezquez, the Knights leaped into WBAL first place after a 3-0 victory, their 7th in a row.

Prior to facing their rivals, the Knights voiced their confidence in their team. “We’re pretty confident in our ability to win,” senior Emilio Velten-Lomelin said. “SHP games are always tough, but I’m really excited.” This was the senior’s final time competing against an SHP team.

The Knights struck right away with a goal from Valezquez in the fourth minute of the game. Senior Daniel Louie added another goal midway through the half off an assist from Velten-Lomelin.

With only seven minutes left to play, Valezquez scored his second goal, assisted by sophomore Jacob Lee to put Menlo on top 3-0. 

A strong defensive performance shut out the Gators from all attempts on goal. Goalkeeper senior Colin Thomas held off SHP’s last-ditch efforts with three saves in the final minutes of the game. 

The Knights lost to SHP a couple of weeks prior 2-0 which made this win even better. “Last time we played them, it was our first league game of the season, we hadn’t played a game in a month and our head coach wasn’t there. There were also some moments in that game where we felt disrespected so that fired us up,” Louie said. “The resounding win definitely reflected our growth as a team and our ability to bounce back.”