Last week saw the continuance of league play for both soccer teams, as well as a difficult opening to it at Sierra Canyon for the basketball program. Fox Sports introduced the nation to our fabulous freshmen in a nationally televised game, and our equestrian team also competed. The week was challenging athletically, but all teams had some measures of success. Be sure to watch all of our winter athletic teams compete at home on Friday night and into Saturday, as we have our first ever Winter Homecoming. The action starts with the Girls Basketball team at 6:00, followed by the Boys team immediately after, and all three soccer teams midday on Saturday.

Girls Soccer

            On Thursday, the Girls Soccer team traveled up to Lancaster, defeating Paraclete by a 1-0 margin. Senior co-captain KaiLan Mackey scored the winner. After the game, KaiLan was interviewed, saying “We’re really starting to come together and find our identity as a team that does whatever it takes to win, it doesn’t have to be pretty.” At the midway point of league play, the Patriots sit in third place with a 3-1-2 record, while conceding the lowest number of goals in the league. Next week, the team is on the road against current league leaders Sierra Canyon on Tuesday night, before travelling again on Thursday to face Brentwood. The team returns home on Saturday to face Crossroads in the last game of the Winter Homecoming extravaganza, so come out and support! The game against Crossroads kicks off Saturday at 2:00 PM on Ring Family Field.

Boys Soccer

            The Boys Soccer team played once last week, hosting Paraclete, but coming up on the wrong side of a 2-1 decision. We dominated possession, but conceded twice off of free kicks, before Eli Mohn (’22) scored his first high school goal to inject life back into the game. However, a furious rally ended up just short. Also on Thursday, the JV Team picked up their first points of the season, holding the Spirits to a 1-1 draw. Sophomore Christopher Fillipakis scored the team’s first goal of the season. We play three times next week as we end the home part of our schedule. On Tuesday, it’s Senior Night, as we honor our eight seniors with a ceremony after the game against Sierra Canyon. In alphabetical order, our seniors are Colin Beazley, Eric Gunnarsson, Ryan Gurewitz, Darian Gurvitz, David Luner, Tahj Maheswaran, RL Spivak, Peter Sussman, and Konrad Ulich, so be there to support! On Thursday, we host Brentwood in what is sure to be a high-intensity affair against our rivals, and the current league leaders. Both midweek games start at 2:00 PM on Ring. Finally, on Saturday, we play at 12:00 PM against Crossroads as part of the Winter Homecoming festivities. Come out and support in our final home games as we push for playoffs!

Girls Basketball

            The Girls Basketball team played once last week, beginning league play with a challenging Wednesday night matchup against Sierra Canyon. The game was close throughout, but Sierra pulled away in the second half on their way to a 71-49 victory over the Patriots. League play begins to ramp up this week, with two tests, starting on Tuesday night at 6:00 against Paraclete, then followed up on Friday night with another 6:00 start as part of Winter Homecoming festivities against Campbell Hall. Both Paraclete and Campbell Hall have yet to record a win in Gold Coast League play, so this is an excellent opportunity to move up in the standings. Good luck to our team!

Boys Basketball

The Boys Basketball team had a testing week, playing in three high intensity matches. The first game was the league opener, which did not go in our favor, despite an impressive travelling student section, 22 points from Giovanni Goree (’23) and 17 from Osiris Nalls (’23). On Saturday, the team played West Torrance at the LA Court Report Winter Showcase, coming out the victors by a score of 52-46. The game was a defensive slugfest, and Viewpoint trailed for most of the game, only pulling away in the fourth. Dante Ogbu (’23) led the team with 13 points. The team finished the long weekend with an MLK Day showdown against Agoura High, losing 65-55. The Patriots continue league play this week with two home games, starting off Tuesday night at 7:30 against Paraclete, before finishing with the Winter Homecoming game Friday Night against Campbell Hall. The game tips off at 7:30, so be there for what’s sure to be an exciting game.

Equestrian

            The Equestrian team competed in their second Interscholastic Equestrian League show last weekend at Hansen Dam, but results were only available midweek. In the Novice Division, Vivian Grundel (’23) finished 4th in the Handy Hunter and 7th in the Equitation Flat. Chloe Brown (’22) finished 9th in the Handy Hunter, 11th in Equitation Over Fences, and 1st in the Equitation Flat. In the Freshman Division, Shea Smith (’22) was 9th in the Freshman Equitation Over Fences and 5th in the Freshman Equitation Flat. And finally, in the Varsity Division, Sienna Gustafson (’23) was 1st in Varsity Working Hunter and the Varsity Horsemanship Medal, 3rd in Varsity Handy Hunter, 6th in Varsity Equitation Fences, and 12th in Varsity Equitation Flat. She was also Reserve Varsity Overall Champion, and Reserve Varsity Overall Hunter Champion! Congratulations to the Equestrian team on another successful show! Their third show of the season is February 9th.

“I’m So proud of my Viewpoint Sports teams and I’m excited to see their performances at Winter Homecoming! Go Boys and Girls Soccer, and Go Girls and Boys Basketball!” – Jordan Moore (’20), Navy Captain