Santa Ana, CA — On another chilly night, the Foothill Knights welcomed the El Toro Chargers to their home field and attempted to remain unbeaten at home. Both teams played Monday with the Knights coming off victorious over Portola (3-1) and the Chargers losing (1-2) to perennial powerhouse Millikan. Shortly after the whistle blew, Zehner connected with Garcia and slotted the ball past the keeper to put Foothill ahead in the first minute. There were many additional attempts that just missed the net in the first half but Foothill was clearly in control. Just before the half, the Knights were slow to press a ball just outside their 18 yard box and El Toro capitalized when they launched a shot and the ball ricocheted off a Foothill player and into the back of the net in the 33rd minute. The second half saw the Knights came out sluggish and lackluster. Perhaps it was fitness or just the rustiness of working through new team dynamics, but the Knights were not connecting or taking advantage of dangerous opportunities. For the first 20 minutes of the second half, El Toro had more fire and the momentum had shifted but Foothill was able to weather the storm. The last 2 minutes to finish the game became very open and quite frantic. The Knights were lucky to secure the last minute victory when Fiallos poached a failed free kick attempt and the ball fortuitously landed at his feet inside the 6 yard box. Foothill scored in the first and last minutes of the game to bring home the victory over El Toro on their season opener. This team has considerable potential but showed a lack of composure and focus at different points in the match. The Knights will continue to be tested this week with a frenetic schedule ahead. Foothill is in the Huntington Beach All Turf Tournament and plays La Serna tomorrow (12/5/2024), Valencia Friday (12/6/2024), Montclair Saturday morning (12/7/2024). A consolation or semifinal match will follow that evening depending on results. This puts the Knights up against competition 6 times in as many days. The Knights will look to stay healthy and competitive with such a crazy schedule. There are a lot of bright spots on this team and they could be successful if they continue to fight.