The high school boys’ soccer squad played in three non-season games over winter break, taking part in the Arizona Showcase Tournament hosted out of the Reach 11 Sports Complex.

Game one on the tournament pitted the Falcons against Gila Ridge. Head coach Matt Pugliano said that Gila Ridge scored early and often due to the Falcons’ lackluster effort.

“A superior opponent and two weeks between contests had us in a bad spot,” he added.

The Falcons lost 8-0.

Game two saw the Falcons squaring off against Hawaii Prep Academy. Pugliano said the local squad had trouble keeping pace with a quicker opponent, leading to the 4-0 defeat.

Finally, in game three on the tournament, the Falcons played their neighbors from over the hill, Desert Mountain.

“Most of the boys had friends on the opposing team, so it made the rivalry that much sweeter,” Pugliano said.

“The team battled heard for the first 25 minutes, keeping Desert Mountain Scoreless for a good portion of the first half. We conceded a goal a few minutes later on a mental error, which opened the gates to four more goals over the course of the game.”

The Falcons lost yet again, 5-0.

“As I told the boys after the Desert Mountain game, if we show the kind of effort we had in the first 25 minutes of that game against our remaining regular season opponents, we are going to turn some heads.”

The Falcons play Paradise Valley on the road this Tuesday, Jan. 5, with kickoff set for 6 p.m.