Soccer Recap: Santa Monica Starts Season with Win Against Venice

Santa Monica gave their fans exactly what they wanted out of a home opener on Monday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Venice Gondoliers 3-2. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' California soccer rankings (they are ranked 15th, while the Gondoliers are ranked 156th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Santa Monica hit Venice with a three-pronged attack, as the team got scores from Mateo Castagna, Miguel Cano, and Deacon Miller.

Santa Monica didn't take long to hit the pitch again: they've already played their next match, a 3-2 defeat against Crossroads on the 4th. As for Venice, they also wasted no time getting back out on the pitch and have already played their next contest, a 4-0 win against Hamilton on the 4th.