Boys varsity soccer took the field on the cool, crispy night of January 14th, ready to face the San Luis Obispo Tigers. After a hard fought battle, Paso came out on top with a score of 2-1.
The team went 7-4 in pre-season with a silver bracket win in the local Cats and Hounds tournament, beating rivals Atascadero in the final round.
“We are super stoked to finally get a win, especially against a strong team like SLO. We still have tons to work on and little things to straighten out, but overall it’s shaping out to be a hopeful season,” captain Matthew Magdonal said. This win is the first time Paso’s boys varsity soccer team has beaten SLO since January 5th of 2018.

Having started off the season with two disappointing losses to the Santa Maria Saints and Arroyo Grande Eagles, Paso looked to be regressing from the previous season where they went 5-2-3 while finishing second in the Mountain League, beating Sunnyside in the first round of CIF D2 playoffs before losing to Clovis East.
Similarly to PRHS, SLO came into the game with a 0-2 record, having lost to the Pioneer Valley Panthers and the Righetti Warriors the week prior.
Everything was leading to a close game that could go either way for both teams. Fortunately for the Bearcats, the game went in their favor. Both teams came out strong before a defensive miscommunication for the Bearcats led to a breakaway for the SLO attackers. However, a save by senior goalkeeper David Camarillo kept the game tied at 0-0.
With 10 minutes left in the first half, junior Diego Sandoval was subbed into the game, bringing a new sense of energy onto the field. He carried this all throughout the remainder of the half, ultimately leading to Sandoval scoring after the Tigers defense made a costly passing error with only a few minutes remaining until halftime.
The Bearcats carried this intensity into the second half, arguably outhustling the Tigers.
Midway through the second half, sophomore Isaac Jimenez dribbled past a Tiger before taking a shot from just outside the 18 yard box, hitting the crossbar and bouncing off the ground into the net.
The Bearcats held onto their lead, defensively staying strong until a lucky bounce led to a goal by SLO with four minutes remaining. The score stayed the same for the remaining minutes, resulting in a 2-1 victory for the Bearcats.