Cate’s boys soccer team brought some joy on a day of sadness at the school.
Center back Joshua Yaro scored after a 70-yard solo run during a six-goal first half outburst, and the top-seeded Rams opened defense of the CIF Division 7 title with a 9-0 rout over visiting Newbury Park Adventist on Thursday.
The team dedicated the game to math teacher Colin Day, who passed away earlier in the day after a bout with stomach cancer.
“The boys in blue were committed to playing with the kind of precision and artistry that was representative of the way Colin lived his life,” said Cate coach Dave Mochel.
Senior captain Avery Schwartz set up the first goal, scored by captain Ema Boateng in the sixth minute. Thus began the flurry — Boateng assisted on junior captain Yaro’s goal in the ninth minute, Schwartz scored unassisted in the 10th, and sophomore Shuta Kobayashi created Schwartz’s second goal in the 11th. Yaro finished his long run in the 24th minute and three minutes later, sophomore Matthew Firestone performed almost exactly the same feat to tally the sixth and final goal of the half.
Four minutes into the second half, Schwartz put a ball across the goalmouth to be finished by junior Justin Kim. Yaro had an encore performance with a long run and a goal in the 57th minute, and senior Grant Redmond assisted on junior Jack Langan’s effort that finished the scoring in the 66th minute.
Senior captain Blake Wands recorded his 11th shutout of the season.
The Rams (15-1-1) will play their second-round game on Tuesday against either Coast Union or Vistamar.
