After a shut-out defeat in Fremont to Ohlone College, Skyline planned to bounce back at home against visiting Evergreen Valley College for their Oct. 11th matchup and avoid their first losing streak since September. 

The Trojans had slipped to second place in their division and prepare to face an E.V.C. team who’s coming off back-to-back wins. Skyline’s players have had trouble adjusting to different roles due to injuries to key players, reflected in their dip in goals in their last two matches.

Evergreen Valley has been playing their best soccer of the season, winning three of their last four games while outscoring their opponents 15-5 in those contests. The Hawks were looking for their third straight win.

The foggy conditions on the field appeared to play a factor in locating the ball early in the first half as kicks downfield for both teams went out of play with players unable to hold possession. Skyline’s defense had trouble adjusting to E.V.C.’s unorthodox ball movement as they chose to kick the ball down the field rather than pass to their open teammates. The Hawks were first on the scoreboard as they capitalized on a lapse in judgment by the Trojans midway through the first half. Skyline trailed 1-0 going into halftime.

Evergreen continued their dominance early in the second half adding a second goal in the first four minutes of play. The two goal cushion was short-lived though as Skyline caught the Hawks by surprise with a goal from freshman Jazmine Cazares two minutes later. Both teams elevated their intensity as players were given yellow cards for unnecessary roughness at various points of the second half. Possession alternated between the teams for the remainder of the game. In the closing minutes of the match, Skyline was unable to take advantage while in scoring position and ended up short of a comeback.

The Trojans have now lost three of their last four games and slipped to third place in the North Division standings.

“We’re not the team we want to be right now. We’re missing great players on the sidelines with crutches, and it hurts us when we’re not fully healthy and able to compete with our full team,” said head coach Kevin Corsiglia, addressing the current obstacles the team is facing. 

“We’re trying to find ourselves right now. When you try to find yourself while making mistakes, you’re not going to win games.”

Leading scorer Katie Jaques, who was involved in a hard play at the net toward the end of the game, shared her frustration, 

“When the score is close, games tend to get more physical. We made too many mental mistakes today.”

This Trojan team unfamiliar with losing must now regroup and prepare for their next match as they travel to Los Altos to face Foothill College. Jaques added, “We’ve played the game long enough for us to play that way; we know how to win and need to stop losing. “

Skyline’s game at Foothill College will take place Oct. 14 at 4 p.m.