Against the purple hues of dusk over Wildcat Stadium and anchored by a disciplined defense and balanced offense, boys’ varsity soccer claimed a 4-0 win against visiting Villa Park High School, Jan. 12.
The victory improves the Wildcats’ record to 8-2-2 overall, and 2-1 in Crestview League.
The Wildcat attack was led by forward Anthony Aguirre (‘26), forward Jack Penalosa (‘28), midfielder Jens Erxleben (‘27), and forward Colin Garcia (‘27) – all of whom found the back of the net in the match.
The scoring barrage began in the 25th minute of the first half when defender Aaron Gordon (‘27) sailed a corner kick into the 18-yard box to Aguirre, who half-volleyed to ball deep into the top of the net.
“It was the right time and right moment,” Aguirre, who leads the team with 14 goals in 12 games, said.
Villa Park had their first, and only, shot attempt soon after, but goal keeper Ayden Vannerath (‘28), called up from junior varsity to replace unavailable keepers Russell Dooley (‘28) and Max Sanchez (‘26) due to injuries and schedule conflicts, respectively, dove to block the shot after a chaotic back-and-forth sequence in the box.
“[Ayden] really stepped up,” Gordon said. “He seemed calm out there, and I think that’s also because our defense was backing him up. It’s a lot easier for him when the defense does their job, and they did.”
That stability in defense helped set up BOHS’s second goal of the first-half. After Erxleben’s breakaway chance missed to the right of the post. In the corner kick leading from the miss, Gordon launched the ball deep into the box where Penalosa finished the play for a 2-0 lead against the Spartans.
“It was nice to get an assist off of a long throw; we haven’t had many long throw goals this year,” Gordon said. (Gordon, whom his teammates call the “set-piece specialist,” is entrusted by his coaches with long throw-ins during matches.)
“We always try to use his throws as a chance to score,” Exleben said. “They’re effective, and he can throw it into the box better than anyone.”
Minutes later, Aguirre fell to the ground with a calf cramp, leading to his temporary exit.
But even with their top scorer off the field, the Wildcats continued to maintain possession of the ball.
In the 64th minute, Penalosa drove the ball past the center third of the field to Erxleben. Erxleben continued the sequence past the opposing goal keeper, tapping the ball into the net for the third goal.
“I just saw the goalie coming out and I saw my chance,” Erxleben said. “It was an easy goal opportunity, so I took it.”
Garcia’s continued pressure on the Spartan’s defenders created another goal opportunity in the final minutes of the game. Following a cross-in from Gordon after a corner kick, Garcia placed the ball into the bottom right corner of the net sealing the 4-0 win.
While dominant on the offensive side of the ball, head coach JohnPaul Wilson (‘07) credited his defensive line — including replacement goalie Vannerath — for the team’s win. “Defensively, we were solid; the defense was perfect,” Wilson said.
Currently in second place in the Crestview League, the Wildcats turn their attention to league leading Canyon High School today at 3 p.m. in Anaheim Hills.
“We’re just going to give it our all, try to win, and hope for the best,” captain Jonas Pearson (‘26) said. “If we beat Canyon, we definitely have a chance to win league this year.”
