ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Sheldon High boys’ soccer team traveled to Franklin on Friday Jan. 30 for a game between two top-ranked teams in the Delta League.  

Franklin entered the game riding a three-game win streak. The Wildcats beat Elk Grove High School 3-1 on Jan. 28. This pushed their overall record to be 13-0-3 and 6-0-2 in league play, and they were looking to stay undefeated as well as to extend their win streak to remain first in the league.

Sheldon came into this game ranked third in the Delta with 7-3-2 on the season and a 5-2-1 league record. The Huskies were also coming off a 5-2 win against Laguna Creek.                

Once the game started, both teams prioritized ball movement, constantly keeping the ball away from the defense as well as not having one player hold onto the ball for too long.       

However, neither team was able to gain a quality look to attack the goal. They were only getting opportunities to score on corner kicks and free kicks but were coming up empty.         

With roughly 30 minutes left in the first half, Franklin was able to convert on a corner kick. No. 11 Landon Roberson was able to score off an assist by No. 10 Marcos Zarate, putting the Wildcats up 1-0.             

 

Franklin’s Christian Azevedo throws the ball in from the sideline.

                

Sheldon continued to move the ball once it got it back after the score, but it found no opportunities to score as Franklin continued to play tight defense and even took control of the ball.                   

Late in the first half, Wildcat No. 12 Adnan Mohammad was able to score off a wild bounce after a free kick was stopped, making the score 2-0 going into halftime.    

As the second half began, fog started to settle into the field. Both teams prioritized ball movement on offense while playing great defense, not allowing the other team to capitalize on the few opportunities given.               

With just under 20 minutes left in the game, Franklin was able to put the game out of reach when No. 9 Fernando Cisneros scored the third goal of the game.                

Franklin did not allow any scoring opportunities after its third goal of the night.  

The 3-0 win pushed Franklin to a 14-0-3 overall record and 7-0-2 in league, while also extending its win streak to four games. Sheldon fell to an overall record of 7-4-2 and a league record of 5-3-1.