Varsity Soccer Team Battles Hard Against Graded Despite Challenges

Caption: PACA Varsity Boys players, Matheus Steinberg and Philip Immanuel defend while the opposing team starts advancing the ball. [Esther Hadassa Lima]

by Rafael Oliveira

The Varsity Soccer teams faced Graded, on September 2, in two tense and competitive matches at Graded in São Paulo. Despite a strong effort from both sides, both teams fell short and ended up losing. The boys lost after a penalty given against them late in the first half losing 1-0, while the girls suffered a 3-0 loss. However, players and coaches alike agreed that the game showed growth and provided valuable lessons to the teams. Valentina Porto, who played as a left back in the game, started the game on the bench and shared how she prepared mentally and physically for the challenge.

“I mentally prepared myself by trying to be relaxed because I knew I would start on the bench and physically get ready during practice,” Porto said. Later in the match, Porto had to adjust positions on the field. Despite the shift, she was proud of her contribution.

“I felt great about my performance, because I helped my team not suffer any more goals,” she said. Samuel Volkart, who played as a right winger in the game, also reflected on the difficulty of the match, especially after the team lost a player from a red card issued near halftime.

“Near the end of the first half,” Volkart said. “Because we ended up losing a player which made the game twice as difficult.” He admitted the circumstances affected his performance, but he still gave his best effort.

“I still did my best by marking and defending the best I could,” he said. “I learned that we can’t make unwise decisions because they can end up making us lose the game.” Coach Zé Adriano praised the team’s defensive work and tactical discipline against a tough opponent.

“We already knew Graded and we knew that they like to cross the ball to change sides and like to keep the ball,”Coach Zé Adriano said. “And because we already knew that, we tried to block the crosses and mark them to put pressure on them when they had the ball.” Despite the loss, he highlighted the positives from the match.

“I think it was one of the best games that I have ever played in the time I’ve been coaching here because we were able to have chances and have a great effect tactically and defensively,” he said. “Our team is growing and I hope this doesn’t affect our goal which is to get top three.” Coach Fabio Oliveira echoed similar thoughts but pointed out mistakes that needed correction.

“My strategy was to make a strong marking midfield so then we could go to the counter attack faster,” Coach Oliveira said. He added that errors in passing were costly.

“One thing that our team had was having wrong passes during moments really important for our attack or our goal scoring chances,” he said. “With the posture of some athletes, I will have to make some changes tactically for the next game.” For JP Tartoni, the highlight of the match was not about the score but about team spirit.

“My favorite moment was being able to see my team playing well defensively and being able to represent our school,” JP Tartoni said. Tartoni believed that the energy and perseverance of the players stood out.

“I think that it gave the team positive energy and it helped them with their perseverance,” he said. “I think that it plays a crucial role because it creates a happy and competitive environment.” Although the result didn’t go their way, the Varsity team left the field with lessons, pride, and determination to improve in their next matches.