By Francisco Avila

Hancock came into the game after a 3-0 road win against Curie, while Hubbard went into this match after a 1-0 road loss against Little Village High School.

Hubbard hoped to win this game and bring themselves back to winning ways, but Hancock provided a great match with high intensity and efficiency in front of the goal which ultimately led them to a convincing 5-1 away win. 

“I always tell my guys to keep going like it’s not over till the whistle blows and the reason is we’ve had times in the past where we let go of a one or two-goal lead,” Hancock’s manager, Diego Diaz, said after the win. “We would feel like that’s a good enough cushion and I’ve seen it, and it’s happened to us where a team scores one goal, and then the momentum shifts. 

“So that’s something we want to avoid as a team. We’re not happy until the whistle blows, so I tell my guys to keep scoring, to keep being offensive, and attacking because you never know when the tide of the game can shift.”

The opening 40 minutes were very even between the two sides. Hancock opened the scoring with a goal from midfielder, Omar Garcia, a potent strike outside the box hitting the top-right.

“Overall, in my performance, my goal was to distribute passes and start shooting the ball, and luckily, it landed there and I got the opportunity to score.,” Garcia said about his goal.

After Garcias’s opener, Hubbard was able to equalize courtesy of a Samuel Martinez deflection for its only score of the match.

However, right before the half, Hancock was able to take the lead for good with a goal from defender German Barrientos. Barrientos’ finish came off of a corner from midfielder Alec Olivas and gave the Eagles a 2-1 halftime lead. 

“That’s again like going off past experiences, we’ve had it where a draw ended up putting in some discouragement going into the half, so like I tell these guys 1-0 up or down that the game isn’t over till the whistle blows,” Diego Diaz said when talking about how his team responded to the Hubbard goal. “I’m just glad that we were able to respond quickly, so we can play with a little bit more confidence going into that second half.”

The second half started much like the first when the Eagles’ midfielder Jesus Torres opened the second half with a goal, extending the lead to 3-1. Hancock extended the lead to 4-1 off of a corner. 

“I guess we were taught no matter how high you’re winning, you should always try your hardest because you never know what could happen,” Hancock defender Oscar Martinez said about the team’s mentality when having a big lead. “You could still lose. 

“If the other team doesn’t give up hope, they could still come back after a 5-1 lead. I guess it’s all down to how people like to, I guess, work for it.”

Garcia scored his brace on a goal assisted by Torres, one that sealed the match and made it 5-1.

“Our definition hasn’t been the best this year,” Hubbard manager Diogenes Diaz said. “We’ve been working on those situations; however, each game in the CPS league is different. The way our players adapt is different, so today we weren’t able to finish almost any of our opportunities. We had several chances, especially very clear ones like the header from Andres and some others and there are days like these where we’re not able to finish.”

“It’s a learning experience like every game,” Hubbard forward, ​​Andres Villava said. “It’s always going to be a learning experience, just get better. We already know what is left to get better like running, coordination,  or speaking more. The game was pretty quiet so just work hard and work hard.”