After earning the title of League Champs, the boys went on a journey to try and win the CIF Championship. Making it all the way to the finals undefeated, the boys fell short, losing 3-1 against Preuss UCSD. This was an emotional moment, but it was also history. Palo Verde has never made it to the finals and earned a runner-up trophy in the boy’s soccer program. We interviewed Cade Alaniz, Junior Capitan, and Leo Godinez, Senior Captain, about their and the team’s feelings and preparations for the big game. 

     As a Senior, Leo Godinez gave us his point of view on how their CIF journey went. He explained how after coming out victorious from both the Quarter and Semi-finals, the team had “momentum” and Leo felt “confident” in his team. “I knew it was going to be difficult, but we’d get there.” Leo’s last practice was described as “one to remember,”  “It was a weird feeling during the practice, it felt like it was my last practice with the team.” Compared to the day of, he explained how they did not exactly have a plan set out, it was most encouraging words and “how important it was to all of us to come out victorious,” as he stated. Leo explained how he felt “confident, nervous, and prepared” going into the final game, “I think it was our nerves, they got the most of the team.” 

     After winning the quarter-finals, Cade Alaniz stated that they were feeling excited, “we were all happy that we had advanced, but we also remembered that we still had work to do.” The boys continued their undefeated streak by winning the semi-finals, “for me personally it meant a lot because I was so proud of what we as a team had accomplished.” As Cade stated, the practice before the big game was very serious, ”you could feel that everybody was trying to prepare themselves both physically and mentally for the game.” Coming the day of the big game, “I was feeling surprisingly calm. The whole team felt ready and I think that kept everybody at ease… just good vibes all around. We all planned to come back as champions, we planned to win as all teams do.” Cade explained. 

     Cade continued by showing how the team is a family, and at the end of the day, they are all proud of each other. “We played a great game, but everybody has to lose sometimes, and unfortunately for us, it was in the championship game. This team is full of great athletes, but also amazing people. What kept us going and drove us to have the amazing season we had, was the mentality that we were all family.” Leo wanted to end his Senior season by saying “I love my team.” PV is extremely proud of our boys for making it as far as they did and making history.