The men's soccer team boarded the team vans to depart for South Lake Tahoe at noon on a Friday. One thing was on the players' mind as they left that day, the first game of the season. The Bear Cubs had been preparing for this game against Fresno City College with four weeks of hard work, six days a week. Fresno, regarded as one of the top teams in the state, were a great challenge for Santa Rosa to start their season with. While they respected Fresno, they certainly did not fear them.
After a four-hour trip in the team vans, the team arrived at Lake Tahoe Community College. They got dressed and onto the field for a light one hour training. After the training, the boys went to Safeway to get some snacks to hold them over until dinner. Freshman Sam Alatorre's idea of a small snack was a box of 18 sushi rolls, earning him the nickname, Sushi. The team then went to the hotel to get ready to go to dinner. When the team got to the restaurant's location, they noticed that their opponents were eating right next to where they would be eating. Dinner for the Bear Cubs consisted of pasta and meatballs, along with garlic bread and water as their beverage. At dinner, the team talked and exchanged laughs as everyone got to know each other better. When they got back to the hotel they all discussed team goals for the whole season, along with the match against Fresno the following day. One thing was for certain, they all wanted to prove that Santa Rosa was back and still strong.
The game was scoreless up until the 35th minute. Oliver Barajas was fouled at the top of the box, and Logan Ziemer converted this opportunity into the first goal of the season for the Bear Cubs. Santa Rosa maintained this lead until a penalty was awarded to Fresno in the 52nd minute. Fresno seized the opportunity that the Bear Cubs dealt them and tied the game 1-1, which also became the final score of the match. Tarwinder Purewal's standout midfield performance earned him the man of the match award from coach Kinahan.
After the game, the team went for a hike and a swim at Angora Lake. Coach Kinahan rented paddleboards and rowing boats, which was rotated amongst the team. Coach Kinahan and some of the players also jumped off of the jumping rocks to add to the entertainment. One of the highlights of this part of the trip was seeing a bear through the window of the vans. The highlight of Angora for Owen McCabe was the size of the pinecones, which are apparently much larger than the ones in Scotland. The day ended with pizza and more team bonding by beautiful Lake Tahoe.
The team stayed one more night, and then made their way back to the JC the following morning. All in all, it was a good weekend for the team in terms of getting the ball rolling, setting team goals, and seeing a beautiful part of California with their brothers.