Lathrop boys soccer just wanted it more.
The Spartans had lost against Kimball during the preseason and faced the Jaguars again in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 3 playoffs.
“We don’t make excuses when we lose and we lost to them,” said Alfredo Reynaga, Lathrop boys soccer head coach. “So today we knew we were gonna do some things a little bit better than what we did last time and the kids responded.”
Lathrop got its sweet revenge beating Kimball 1-0 to punch its ticket to the quarterfinals. Here are the key takeaways from the Spartans playoff victory.
‘Beat Kimball with Nine’
From the first whistle, Lathrop was the more aggressive team. Whether it was fighting for every 50/50 ball or speedy counter-attacks, the Spartans were there. Kimball picked up the pace later in the first half but it was nearly as aggressive as its opponent.
“We had nothing to lose,” Reynaga said. “We were the underdogs coming into a hostile environment against the reigning Valley Oak League champs so we knew they would play aggressively.”