Seniors dominate this season’s boys soccer team with one of the largest groups of returning players in many years, giving the team an edge in League play.
The first matchup, under the lights of Randy Penn Stadium, pitted the team against Denver West. Coach Kavinsky gathered the team, returning seniors, battle-ready juniors, and eager underclassmen who were all ready to carve out their mark this season.
In their season opener, the Pirates hosted a fierce rival. As the game unfolded, fans saw a sharp team with clean passes, close tackles, and a few near misses. In the end, West took the game 4-1.
Senior goalkeeper Hernan Martinez has been playing soccer for a long time, “Yeah, I’ve started playing soccer since I was seven years old.” Club play took over his young time on the field, “I got to travel around the States when I was young.”
Now in high school, Martinez is in his last year and he is excited about the team and their performance so far, “We’re pretty decent this year. We beat the number two team in two eight last year.”
Game two for the win
Game two started with the long bus ride to the mountains to take on Lake County. The Pirates found their rhythm and came out on top 8-0. #10 senior Anthony Mendoza had four of the eight goals for the game, followed by senior Roman Diaz with one goal and two assists, and senior Perez Govea with two goals. Senior Elizondo Ortiz also had one goal and one assist.
The team has a busy schedule for the month of September, next taking on SkyView Academy and then Denver Christian.
Five games in
The team stands at 2-2-1 and players know it is important to dig in, “I feel like we have a good start to the season, but now we’re going into the league phase where we really need to win games and hopefully win a league title,” Hernandez said.
He says the seniors on the team are wanting a title, “Because it’s our last year. Most of the team consists of seniors. And you know, I think all the seniors want it. Want a league title and hopefully make playoffs.”
