On Tuesday, January 10th, the Coronado Islander boys varsity soccer team struggled while playing against the St. Augustine Saints. The competition was intense and everyone was fired up to play, but the Saints were more prepared to take on the challenge and beat the Islanders 4-0, handing the Islanders their second loss of the season.
From the starting whistle to the end, the team chemistry for the Islanders seemed to be off. There was not much communication on the offensive side, which ultimately led to missed opportunities. Due to the miscues on offense, it created more pressure for the defense to deal with. The Saints would constantly split the Islander defenders apart and find open spaces to move the ball around and shoot.
Within the first 12 minutes, the Saints would find the back of the Islanders’ net to put 1-0 on the board. This would be a little disheartening for the Islanders, but it wasn’t the end of the world (or the game). 13 minutes after the first goal, Saints would score yet again, increasing the lead to 2-0. The rest of the first half would be played mainly on the Islanders defensive side, trying to prevent Saints from extending the lead. They went into half down by 2, looking to find a way to come back from the deficit.
Head Coach Jeff Roe was seen at half time trying to spark a flame in the players’ eyes and increase the energy on the field, as well as motivating them to do better and to hold each other accountable.
However, even after the pep talk, Saints would go on to score their third goal of the night just two minutes after the game resumed.
Once that goal went in, the energy from the Islanders seemed to deplete. 12 minutes after that goal, Saints got their fourth goal.
The last 26 minutes of the game were spent going back and forth, neither team was getting close to scoring and the final whistle blew with the Saints being victorious 4-0. 
Post game, Coach Jeff Roe stated that “we have to improve everything, go back to the drawing board, and see where we take it.” Hopefully next game the Islanders can bounce back from the devastating loss and get back on their feet.
The Islanders are currently 7-2, and their next home game is January 19th at 6pm against the Point Loma Pointers.
