The boys soccer team lost a close battle at home this past Friday, Dec. 20, falling behind Coronado High School 1-0 in the final regular season game of 2013.

Unlike many high school sports, though, the boys soccer team will remain active during the winter break, going on to compete in the Soccer Showcase Dec. 27-28.

The team is set to play Parker at 9 a.m. on Dec. 27 and Mountain View at 1 p.m. on that same day.

Competition will continue on Dec. 28 with a game versus Boulder Creek at 3 p.m.

All of the Soccer Showcase match-ups will be hosted out of the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix. All matches are also set to TBA on the official schedule, so fans are encouraged to check in at falconathletics.org to double check matches before hitting the road to spectate.

Once the tournament is wrapped up, the Falcons will enjoy a nice long break from competition, not hitting the pitch again until well into the New Year.

The next regular game of the season will be held on Friday, Jan. 10, with the Falcons hosting Arizona Lutheran Academy at 6 p.m.

Coronado

Coming into the Coronado match-up at 7-2 and playing a team sporting a 4-0 record, the Falcons knew they would have their work cut out for them in this regular season game.

According to head coach Tony Galietti, this match was especially important to the Falcons, as it was a rematch from last year’s state quarterfinal matchup.

Galietti said there was a record number of fans in the stands for this outing, despite the cold and threatening weather; something the Falcons are extremely grateful for. The cold weather and wet pitch didn’t seem to slow down the players, either.

“The match began fast and physical as both sides came out playing hard along the soggy pitch,” Galietti said.

“FHHS and Coronado traded scoring chances for the opening 30 minutes, but the score remained at 0-0.”

Galietti said that the Falcons were led by excellent defensive play from Victor Reisig, leading the back four, all of whom did a tremendous job denying Coronado any major chances.

“Lucas Johnson made clutch saves throughout the match but, in the 35th minute, Coronado was able to score the game’s only goal.”

With a Coronado goal slipping past and just five minutes left on the clock for the first half of play, the Falcons went into the locker room down 1-0. Try as they might in the second half, though, the local boys simply couldn’t find the equalizer.

According to Galietti, that didn’t stop the local boys from trying their hardest.

“The Falcons came out flying at halftime in a more attack-oriented formation, creating a few dangerous opportunities throughout the half,” he said.

“We had a goal called back as Garrett Sweetland was just inches offside and Lucas Johnson continued to make huge saves to keep the match tight.”

The second half of play became increasingly physical with both teams earning five yellow cards apiece throughout the final 40 minutes of play.