Though their season ended with a shutout loss, the varsity Cougar soccer boys put up a fight in falling to the host Galt Warriors in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 quarterfinals.

The final score was 5-0, with the Cougars trailing 3-0 at the half in the Feb. 17 contest.

Galt would go on to defeat Hilmar by a 4-0 decision in the semifinals and the top seed Galt squad put a 2-1 win on the books against number three seed Dixon to claim the D5 championship on Feb. 21. Escalon was the number eight seed in the playoffs.

“Galt is a very talented team who had us on our back foot for most of the game,” said Escalon head coach Paul Silva. “We started the game with a good defensive shape and held them scoreless until midway through the first half, when we conceded a penalty.”

Two more goals found their way into the Escalon net just before halftime, said the coach.

“That put us in a tough spot,” he noted of the 3-0 deficit on the road. “We had a few chances to create a goal in the second half but to no avail.”

With two more goals to their credit over the final 40 minutes, Galt walked off with the shutout win.

“The boys put together a tremendous effort throughout the game and did a good job of working together when we got on the ball,” Silva said. “I’m so proud of the boys for how they performed in playoffs, the effort and teamwork they displayed throughout was outstanding and hopefully it’s something that we can build on into next season.”