Last Tuesday’s soccer game didn’t go the way that Head coach Matt Pugliano had hoped, but he is happy to say that his team fought to the end.

The Fountain Hills High School boys soccer team hosted Northwest Christian on Dec. 17, with the local boys going on to lose the match by a final score of 2-0.

Fountain Hills soccer’s next game will be a part of an invitational the team is playing in on Jan. 2 at Quail Run Park.

Concerning the Northwest match, Pugliano said he believes that in his five years of coaching the soccer team, this was one of the best chances for the Falcons to beat rival Northwest Christian.

“We went into the game with a real solid game plan, which the boys executed very well,” Pugliano explained. “Our goal was to eliminate their number one scorer and make NWC beat us with their other players. It was a back and forth game until the 15th minute, when NWC got a free kick near the top of the penalty area. It’s one of the best shots I’ve ever seen in high school soccer, and it had to be to beat keeper Dylan Shipman, who played a marvelous game.”

Northwest’s second goal came in the second half off of a penalty kick, demonstrating how tight regular play was throughout the match.

“Even though we were down, the boys kept pushing on and battled to the end,” Pugliano said. “It was a big step forward for us, after the debacle last Saturday against Coolidge. I spoke after the game about playing with passion and heart. The boys really stepped up this time and we’re looking forward to the second half of the season in January.”