Resurrected Soccer Program Concludes Regular Season
In the final week of the regular season, the Parry McCluer High School coed soccer team suffered a pair of 9-0 losses to Pioneer District leader Eastern Montgomery, falling on Monday of last week in Elliston before losing on Thursday at Bobby Williams Field in Buena Vista.
In each game, freshman goalkeeper Cameron Glass made 11 saves for the Fighting Blues. PM, which was fielding a team for the first time in four years, finished the regular season with an overall record of 0-8-0 and a district record of 0-4-0.
Giving credit to the Mustangs (9-8-0 overall, 4-0-0 district), PM head coach Chuck Rice said they’re “really skilled,” especially in the midfield and defense. “We keep playing the ball to their defense, and they just transition back.”
“We’re still learning and trying to grow,” added Rice. “We’re not comfortable with our touches yet and our passing lanes between. We’re still kind of watching the ball a little bit.”
In addition to Glass’s big saves in goal, Rice was proud of the defense of Seven Medina, Josh Lopez and Jackson Haynes. “They have done a yeoman’s job out there,” said Rice. “I can’t say enough about that.”
Before the game, the Blues honored their lone senior, forward Gabe Osorio. A co-captain for the Blues, Osorio has played soccer since little league and was asked to join Utah’s Real Salt Lake’s Major League Soccer Youth League.
Praising Osorio, Rice said, “I love senior leadership. You just can’t replace that. You just have to keep working and training and developing that leadership that you want in a captain.”
“I knew right away that his skill and leadership have come together,” added Rice. “He’s been mentoring a couple of our players with growing in the game of soccer in practice, and I didn’t ask him to. He did it on his own initiative to be a leader.”
Osorio said that he focused this year on “being a good example for everyone.” Proud of his team’s progress, Osorio said, “From our first game to the one we just played, we definitely made progress, not by the score but by our effort and our playability.” In the fall, Osorio will start serving a two-year Latter-day Saints mission.
The Blues entered this week’s threeteam Pioneer District tournament as the third seed and were scheduled to play at second-seeded Narrows last night. The winner will travel to face top seed Eastern Montgomery in the district championship game on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. For tournament updates, visit www.thenews-gazette. com.
ABOVE, PM freshman goalkeeper Cameron Glass leaps for the ball as freshman teammate Adrienne Wills (33) and other Blues take close on defense. Glass made 11 saves in the Blues’ final home game.AT FAR LEFT, Fighting Blue sophomore forward Eddie Robison dribbles the ball while an Eastern Montgomery player guards him and PM junior Xenia Guevara (8) watches. AT NEAR LEFT, PM freshman Seven Media (25) elevates to get his foot on the ball while a Mustang guards him and teammates Jackson Haynes (far left), Josh Lopez (4) and goalkeeper Cameron Glass (background) watch. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photos)
