Brian Jimenez who played extremely well on Tuesday would find the back of the net to give the Bobcats a 2-1 lead early in the second half. Lake Hamilton would even the score back at 2-2 with a nice goal. The Bobcats and Wolves would both settle in and the score would end up 2-2 to end the game in a tie. 

Gio Ruiz made a nice defensive play at the end of regulation to preserve the tie for Hope. Goal keeper Jose Bello made multiple great saves for the Bobcats. Ruiz and Alex Brand played excellent on the defensive end of the field. The Bobcats showed a lot of fight throughout the game and battled well with a team who advanced to the second round of the 5A state tourney last season. 

After the game I caught up with junior Brian Jimenez as he spoke on the Bobcats season-opener, "It took us a little while to get adjusted to the pace of the game. We settled in and came away with a tie." Jimenez also spoke on his first goal of the season, "All thanks to God for making everything possible and hopefully many more goals to come." The ball movement and possession time from the Hope squad was pretty good, especially for the opening game of the year. The Bobcats are back in action for their home-opener on Friday night as they host Warren. The Bobcats beat Warren 1-0 last year in their matchup. 

Photos by Brianna Maclaughlin