Rams Reign in Grudge Match, Coaches Take Dive
January 25, 2024
Heroics by Abdul-Nafeo, Meisel, and Seal Spark Win
Kiy Barry ’26 (right) Photo by Coach Peterson
Ari Seal ’24 (left) Photo by Coach Peterson
Today was supposed to be our last home game of the regular season, but due to the rain we received in the last couple of days, our home pitch was not playable, so we were forced to play today’s key matchup against the Foothill Tech (FT) Dragons up the road at Santa Barbara HS.
We expected a grudge match and that’s exactly what we got from the starting whistle. Both teams came out aggressively going back and forth. It was an intense start to the game. In the 20th minute, the Dragons countered and caught the Rams off balance, then converted their counter to take a 1-0 lead.
Cate regrouped after being down and began to slowly gain momentum. They began to create better quality chances and put the dragon defense on their heels. In the 38th minute, Left Back(LB) Kamil Abdul-Nafeo ’26 collected a loose ball in the middle of the pitch and proceeded to make an attacking run past the FT defense, then found himself face to face with the dragon goalkeeper (gk), then calmly drilled the ball into the back of the net to even the game, shifting the momentum our way, and making the score 1-1 at the half.
Winning meant the chance to dunk the coaches. Coach Reynoso (left), Coach Molina (right).
Kamil Abdul-Nafeo ’26 shoots on penalty kick. Photo by Coach Peterson
The second half began much like the end of the first half; with confidence, we pushed the ball upfield, and the back-and-forth grudge match continued. It felt like we were heading for overtime, but in the 73rd minute, Eli Meisel ’25 chased down a long ball that forced the Dragon keeper to sprint out to recover near the end of the 18-yard box. Eli’s effort forced the gk to slide and in the process he raised both feet which lead to a “dangerous play” called by the official and awarding a penalty kick (PK) to the Rams. Ari Seal ’24 converted the PK to give the Rams a 2-1 lead.
Coach Reynoso: “Today’s game was a gut check for us and we passed it. Our overall team performance today wasn’t PRETTY but it was EFFECTIVE, but together we were PRETTY EFFECTIVE. We suffered some injuries during the match that forced us to switch things up and we are grateful to have players like Fernando Baldocci ’24, juniors Nico Huiner ’25, Max DeVore ’25, and Big Mack Nieman ’25 who are always ready to step in and contribute. Their contribution today was key to us earning this win.”
Thursday we will travel to Lompoc to play a non-league match against Cabrillo.
