By Sadie Avery ‘26 and Alyssa Landis ‘26
during a night matchup against Cocalico.
Photo credit: Sadie Avery
The Conestoga Valley boys varsity soccer team came up short Wednesday night in a 2–0 loss to Cocalico. Despite an amazing effort from the Buckskins, the Eagles’ early goals proved to be the difference in a competitive Lancaster-Lebanon League matchup.
While preparing for the game, Marex Morales (12) said, “We haven’t really played Cocalico my freshman or sophomore year, but since we’ve played them, they’ve been good competitors for us.”
Cocalico struck first in the opening half, taking advantage of a defensive miscue to grab a 1–0 lead. Conestoga Valley responded with urgency, moving the ball well and creating several scoring opportunities, but the Cocalico goalkeeper denied each chance to keep the Buckskins off the board heading into halftime.
Early in the second half, the Eagles doubled their advantage with a goal off a set piece, forcing CV to chase the game. The Buckskins refused to quit, turning up the pressure in the final 20 minutes.
Conestoga Valley pressed for the equalizer in the closing minutes, earning multiple corner kicks and testing the Cocalico defense. However, the Buckskins were unable to find the net before the final whistle.
Goalkeeper Charles Nugent (12) described the team as playing well defensively. He said, “I feel as though we definitely could have scored more if we took our chances, and I feel like next time, we’ll get them.”
Head Coach David Hartlaub said how he was pleased with the effort the boys gave despite their loss. “I thought our intensity, our willingness to work together, ability to move the ball was good, but we didn’t have that final pass, that final moment, that final breakthrough. So unfortunately, all of those efforts are kind of diminished because of the score board,” he said.
Despite this tough loss, the Buckskins are determined to learn and improve. They are hopeful to bounce back, confident that their continued effort will pay off in upcoming matches.