Men’s soccer dominates in 3-0 victory over Granite Bay

Article by Teo Anastasio

Davis High men’s soccer team, ranked number one in the league, defeated Granite Bay, the number two ranked team, 3-0 on Jan. 22. 

The Blue Devils started off with intensity as senior Subhan Rahimi scored within the first three minutes of the match. 

While both teams applied pressure, defensive stops and key saves from both goalkeepers kept it to a stagnant 1-0 game throughout the first half.

Late into the first half, Davis earned a corner kick. Junior Eli Más capitalized on the situation with a 40th-minute goal, extending Davis’ lead by 2-0.

With one minute remaining in the first half, senior Joshua Emojong slotted one past Granite Bay’s goalkeeper, giving Davis a 3-0 lead going into the half. 

“A 2-0 lead is great,” Emojong said. “But a 3-0 lead is even better. It gave us more momentum going into the second half.”

Starting the second half, Granite Bay came out strong, applying extreme pressure on Davis’ defense and goalkeeper. 

However, due to two electric saves by sophomore Reece Mayhew, Granite Bay was held to zero. For the remainder of the second half, Davis’ defensive line became a wall, allowing more shots on goal.

“Offense wins games,” head coach Alex Park said. “But defense wins championships.”

Davis battled hard on offense during the remainder of the half, but fell short of another goal leaving the score 3-0 at full time. 

“Communication and trust in each other lead to our (the defense’s) clean sheet tonight.” senior Arieh Rooks said. 

Due to the major victory, Davis remains first in the league. “It’s great to win such an important game,” Park said. “It for sure kept our morale high going into the next matches.” 

Going into the remaining games, the team looks to remain in first place. 

“It was a good win,” Emojong said. “But the job’s not finished.”