Boys Varsity Soccer: Maranatha Earns Wild Card Bid with Senior Night Shutout Over Whittier Christian

The final game of the 2020 regular season fell on Senior Night for Maranatha, and they faced a tough conference opponent, Whittier Christian. The Heralds had bested the Minutemen in their first league matchup, 2 – 1, and with a postseason bid on the line, and both teams battling for a third place finish in the Olympic League, the stage was set for an epic showdown. Family and friends of the six graduating seniors multiplied the enthusiastic home crowd as the whistle blew to start the match. For the first forty minutes, the Minutemen and Heralds were locked in a physical battle, with neither willing to concede a goal.

However, just minutes after the restart, Maranatha’s leading goal scorer, Matthew Morales, averaging 1.2 goals per game, was fouled in the box by the Heralds goalkeeper. He subsequently buried the pk, and put the Minutemen on the board. Minutes later, it was Morales again, who broke free from the Whittier back line, and beat the keeper, notching his second goal of the game. Maranatha never looked back, and iced the game with a closing goal by Mac Cole, fed from senior defensive back, Caleb Whyley. The shutout win put Maranatha in third place in the Olympic League, and earned them a wild card game in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 tournament. They face the Rams of Temple City on Monday, February 10th. Kickoff is at 5pm at Temple City High School.

Maranatha High School, 169 S. St. John Avenue, Pasadena, (626) 817-4000 or visit www.maranatha-hs.org.