After a bad loss to Glendale earlier in the season, Republic (7) knew it faced an uphill battle against the Falcons in the district quarterfinals Monday. The Tigers made it further up the hill this time, but still fell short, losing 6-2.
The first time Republic and Glendale met two weeks ago, the Falcons dominated in an 8-0 win that ended before halftime. In this meeting, Republic gave up an early goal but stayed close until the second half. Glendale led 1-0 at the midway point, but scored three more times in the first six minutes of the second half to take a 4-0 lead. They eventually stretched the lead to 6-0 before Santino Stiglianese scored two goals to make the final score 6-2.
Aside from the six-minute stretch to start the second half, Republic was competitive with the higher-seeded Falcons.
“I think it’s just that’s how our season’s been. I’ve said it comes in spurts,” said coach Jesus Zuniga. “They played with some pride tonight. It meant something to them. We never want it to be our last game, but we also knew (Glendale) was going to be very difficult. And for us to cut the lead, play two full halves, get two goals on them, that just shows what this group’s done since day one. They’ve always believed in themselves, and they’ve always grown.”
The loss marked the last match for nine seniors: Mason Cole, Kleber Perez, Brayden Tharp, Will Brock, Xavier Ulshafer, Stiglianese, Mikey Argo, Dakota Thompson, and Cooper Davis.
Republic ends its season with a record of 10-14. That’s double the team’s win total from last season.