Boys Varsity Soccer Takes Care of Business With 3-0 Win Over Monache

Redwood Boys Varsity soccer remain undefeated at home in EYL play with a 3-0 win over Monache on Wednesday night.

By: Lucas de Lima

VISALIA – Rolling after a huge win over Porterville, the Rangers extended their home winning streak to three games with a 3-0 win over the visiting Monache Marauders on Wednesday, January 17th.

Possession started out fairly even, with the Marauders getting the first real chance three minutes in with a long free kick that landed straight into the well-positioned hands of Redwood’s goalkeeper, #1 Ben Harris, ’24.

After a build-up in play into Monache’s half by the Rangers, #6 Nicolas Alcantara, ’24, was brought down with an apparent injury. Alcantara was able to get up on his power, and #8 Andrew Garcia, ’25, was sent in to replace him.

That turned out to be a clever substitute by head coach Joey Chica (who celebrated his birthday on Wednesday), because on the ensuing free kick sent in by #4 Adam Seechan, ’25, Garcia headed the ball inside the penalty area past the Monache goalkeeper, making the score 1-0 in favor of Redwood early in the match.

The Rangers controlled the rest of the first half handily. Another chance came for the Rangers in transition a few minutes after their first goal, but the cross was high out of reach. Immediately after, #9 Jesse Zetino, ’24, received an accurate pass from #16 Jesus Valencia, ’26, but his shot went wide right.

Valencia would create another opportunity about 5 minutes later, first shooting it directly off the right post then immediately putting his own rebound in the back of the net. Unfortunately, the second shot was ruled offside by the line judge. The Monache goalkeeper was injured on the play, and after about 4 minutes of deliberation and discussion, he was replaced by his backup. Following this, the Rangers with control subbed out two of their starters. #21 Adam Judson, ’25, came in to replace #5 Matthew Garcia, ’25, and #14 Cole Fontes, ’25, filled in for #11 Dallas Harris, ’24.

The Marauders had their best chance to even the game with about seventeen minutes remaining in the first half, firing a shot from inside the penalty area to the top left corner, but they were denied with a brilliant save by Ben Harris.

Another starter was subbed out for the Rangers with about fourteen minutes remaining in the first half, with #22 Andres Gutierrez, ’24, getting replaced by #17 Barack Reyes, ’27. The Marauders would make a substitution themselves three minutes later, with their previously-injured starting goalkeeper returning to the match.

Both teams would swap failed chances before another pair of substitutions, with #23 Tanner Hutchings, ’25, coming in for #18 Cory Seechan, ’27, and #12 Hunter Vargas, ’27, in for #2 Devin Calvo, ’27. After a misfired free kick and a quick chance by Monache orderly defended, the first half came to an end with the score 1-0 in favor of the Rangers.

The Rangers would maintain their control of the match after halftime. Just two minutes into the second half, Valencia was brought down by a Monache defender deep into Marauder territory, and the resulting free kick from Adam Seechan was found first by Bither, who scored from close range to make the score 2-0. Bither would have the opportunity for a brace just minutes later with a penalty kick after Dallas Harris drew a foul inside the penalty area, but Bither would have his shot saved and rebound defended.

Redwood wouldn’t have their heads down for long, with Dallas Harris getting a goal of his own due to another perfectly placed pass by Adam Seechan from the corner spot. The header zipped past the Monache goalkeeper, and that made the match 3-0 in favor of the Rangers.

The final half-hour of the match was handled confidently by the Rangers, with a victorious 3 points practically in the bag. Monache would attempt to reverse the shutout with a few moments of positive play, but all were saved by Redwood’s Ben Harris or cleared by his focused back-line.

The Rangers had plenty of opportunities to make the game 4-0 in the final ten minutes, but none of Fontes’ crosses were properly finished. Backup goalkeeper #0 Kameron Konishi, ’25, put on the #10 shirt of Justin Jimenez, ’25, and was a large part of the final barrage of offense from the Rangers, much to the enjoyment of his teammates and fans. The head referee finally blew his whistle, and the match ended with a comfortable 3-0 win for your Rangers.

The win improves the Rangers record to 6-9-2 on the season, and makes the Marauders record 3-12-3 on their own crusade. Adam Seechan finished with three assists on the night, providing the aid for all of Redwood’s tallies on the night. The Rangers will play at 6:00 PM at Golden West on Friday, January 19th to continue their East Yosemite League (EYL) campaign.

When asked what the team did best at versus the Marauders, Andrew Garcia says, “Hav[ing] fun, to be honest. When we play happy, we play good.”

“Right when I got in we had a free kick, and they bombed it over and I just timed it and hit it off my head. [It went over] very lightly,” says Andrew Garcia about his timely goal.

“As a defensive line we were working together sliding back and forth across the field, and communicating all the time, that’s the key when we’re in there. We have to communicate with each other and make sure that each and every one of us know what’s going on at all times,” says Hutchings, an integral part of the clean sheet versus the Marauders.

When asked about his contribution to the score sheet, Bither says, “I knew Adam was going to put it there and I saw the space. I was just first to act, first to get there.”

“It’s always fun in games like that where you get a few early and you know you’re controlling the game. To get some of the guys who don’t necessarily get a lot of minutes in, and have some fun and get some play time,” Bither says as well.

When looking ahead, Hutchings says, “We are really looking forward to playing Golden West. They’re a team that we are looking out for this year.”

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