On Friday, January 24th, the Dinuba Emperor varsity boys’ soccer team played a thrilling match against the Mission Oak Hawks. During the first half of the game, the Emperors were down 2-0. As the whistle blew to initiate the second half, Mission Oak scored its third goal within 45 seconds. The Emperors were down 3-0, but in a turn of events, only a minute after Mission Oak’s goal, Jesus Rios scored the first goal for the team.
The opposing team was holding down the front, but the Emperors persisted as, five minutes into the half, Angel Delgado picked up the team to their second goal. Jesus Rios (freshman), the most valuable player of the match, scored his second goal soon after.
The Emperors and Hawks were tied for victory, and both teams put up a valiant fight. Jesus Rios headed the ball into the net, scoring a hat trick and securing victory for the Emperors. As if three goals weren’t enough, Rios scored a fourth goal, leaving the team in high spirits. Jesus Rios stated, “It was a team effort. I mean, we didn’t start the game the way we wanted, but we kept the momentum going after the first goal came.”
The Emperors turned the tide of the match in eighteen minutes by scoring three goals, parting January with the standings at 3-1-1. Team Captain Alexis Chavez emphasized the team’s morale by saying, “I believe that as a team our goal is to fix all the mistakes that occur throughout our games. To ensure that we make it as far as possible, all while enjoying the sport we’ve been loving since childhood.”
After their exhilarating match, the boys solidified their standings as the second overall team in the league. As the season progresses the Emperors strive to replicate their successes from last season having gone all the way to the championship match. Concerning the matter, Coach Ramiro said, “We have a lot of comeback players. We are looking for the experience from them. Hopefully, they can carry us to another championship and this time go all the way.”
The team reserved the same sentiment as Angel Rodriguez shared, “I mean, it’s a hard process but, I feel like as a team together if we all put in the time and dedication, we could repeat it and I feel like it could happen again.”
