The Fountain Hills High School boys soccer team is still looking for its first win of the season, but they tied Gilbert Classical Academy 2-2 last Friday night, Dec. 10. The Falcons came close to scoring in the last minute, and senior goalkeeper Zane Balzarini kept their chances alive with 22 saves, as well as five saves in overtime.

The Falcons were on their last leg in overtime. When the night started, head coach Matt Pugliano knew that freshman J.D. Manley couldn’t play on his knee, and four other players had been sick all week. By the end of regulation, the Falcons were tired and gasping for air.

“We played very down, in terms of our physical ability,” Pugliano said. “And then Anthony [Kasson] getting hurt 10 minutes into the game really took the wind out of our sails, especially without his ability to move in the middle.”

Kasson scored the first goal of the night early, and Pugliano was encouraged. Kasson went down soon after, but because it was a deep tissue injury in his calf, Kasson played the remainder of the game on a bum leg. According to Pugliano, most of the Falcons’ offense funnels through the center mid position that Kasson plays.

The Falcons gave up a goal soon after, but the score remained tied until halftime. Junior Joshua Ball scored the second goal for Fountain Hills, but again they gave up a goal soon after.

Balzarini was on the field as a defender last year, but he still remembers the problems they had on offense. This year, he’s happy with what he’s seen from the offensive players.

“I know we can win, but a draw is way better than a loss,” Balzarini said. “It took us five games last year to get one goal. We tied our third game, I’m proud of that.”

The Falcons lost 4-0 to Benjamin Franklin earlier in the week on Monday, Dec. 6. Pugliano said his team had a bad mental approach to that game, and they had a similar start mentally on Friday. Fortunately, the Falcons were able to come together and play better in the second half.

“I think we learned a lesson tonight,” Pugliano said. “The boys were very upset, they wanted to win. I think our desire for that win grew as the game went on. We need to start with that mentality. We’ve played well and lost, we’ve played poorly and lost, we’ve poorly and tied, so now we need to play well and win.”

The Falcons had fewer players than Gilbert Classical Academy, and during the overtimes, the Falcons played more defense than offense. The pressure was on Balzarini and the Fountain Hills defenders, and they did their job.

In the second overtime, Balzarini was tested. During the 10-minute period, Gilbert Classical Academy had several good looks. One of Balzarini’s save came on a penalty kick, and another came off a ricochet from the goal post. The ball popped up in the air, and anyone could’ve headbutted it into the Fountain Hills goal. Balzarini had the awareness to run and jump for the ball before anyone else touched it.

“I wish for the best in those situations,” Balzarini said. “I can’t really do much about it, but if there’s a ball in my reach, I’m going for it, that’s for sure.”

Balzarini said that the team is clicking better than last year, and he is impressed with some of the new players on the team. He hopes that they will keep giving good teams a hard time, and that the Falcons will get a few wins of their own.

The Falcons have two more chances to win a regular season game this week. On Monday, Dec. 13, the Falcons hosted Sequoia Charter School after publishing. This Friday, Dec. 17, the Falcons host San Tan Foothills at 6 p.m. The Falcons have a tournament this winter as well. They will play in the Bohdie Larson Celebration Classic at Red Mountain Park. Their set games are against Central High School on Dec. 29 at 10:30 a.m., and against ALA Ironwood on Dec. 29 at 3 p.m.