The Fountain Hills High School boys soccer team fell to 0-3 this week after a 8-0 loss at Gilbert Classical on Tuesday, Dec. 6, and a 7-1 loss to Coolidge at home on Thursday, Dec. 8. Junior Jayden Harned scored the lone goal for the Falcons.

Head coach Malcolm Cutting said he is discounting the game at Gilbert Classical due to the conditions on the field. According to Cutting, Gilbert Classical had a poorly lit, muddy field with dead grass last Tuesday. The lights were gas powered and the Gilbert Classical maintenance crew reportedly worked to improve lighting during halftime.

The girls team did not have the same lighting challenges since they played earlier in the day, but the field was still not in great condition for their game.

Ever since the first game, head coach Malcolm Cutting has noticed a “night and day difference” in the boys’ own accountability in regard to passing. The Falcons only scored once in their first two games off one penalty kick, and they earned their first goal through disciplined passing last week.

“The boys, [during] the last game, started to play as a team and it was impressive,” Cutting said. “They started passing well, they were communicating well and they really started gelling together.”

The Falcons worked their way down the field several times but struck gold once. After several passes from midfield players, Harned found the right angle and kicked the ball in.

“That young man, he has super potential,” Cutting said. “He’s fast, he has foot skill. There was a series of passes from my mids on up to him, and he got the job done and it was beautiful.”

The Falcons allowed one goal in the first 20 minutes, and then quickly allowed two more. Once down 3-0, they tightened up some and traded goals at the end of the first half and beginning of the second.

Senior goalkeeper Zacharie Gratton was dealing with a minor injury on his right leg that prevented him from kicking the ball very far. He still played, because Cutting would rather have a goalie with a hurt leg than a goalie with an injured hand.

“My backup goalie’s hurt, he broke his finger so he can’t play, and Zach just had an off game,” Cutting said. “He’s brand new to the sport and that happens at times, but he kept us in there and our guys started to gel, which for me was exciting.”

The Falcons started this year with lots of inexperience and youth, but everyone is coming around to their role on the field. Even the freshmen are playing well when the moment calls on them to step up.

“They’re holding their own and they’re not making the mistakes that a freshman would,” Cutting said. “I’m pleased with what’s happening with the boys.”

The Falcons kept things within a three-score window for the majority of the game, but Coolidge did score their fifth goal with 19 minutes to play. The Falcons played hard but allowed two more goals to slip through the cracks with less than three minutes left in the game.

Cutting kept Brendan Davies, Matthew D’Anna, Alex Fessenden, and Garren Keeler in as the primary defensive back four and let several other players rotate into positions all across the field.

Cutting is dealing with brand new players on every side of the field, and he moves them around to help their overall learning experience. Players are working on their soccer intelligence and field awareness so they can more easily aid their teammates.

“I’ve been working on different formations and I think we found a very good formation to make it all work,” Cutting said. “I’m going to adjust it again the next time we play. I’ve got a different formation to even more compliment the team.”

Cutting is expecting senior Tory Johnson to make his first game appearance after winter break, and the team will practice like normal over the next few weeks. They will get the first week of break off, and then the Falcons will host Phoenix Country Day School at 6 p.m. in their first game back on Tuesday, Jan. 3.