Panthers kick their way into the playoffs
March 23, 2023
The Panthers boys varsity soccer team motto is Deeds Not Words. Their deeds landed them a 3rd place district finish and clinched them a playoff berth. They face off against the Waller Bulldogs at 7:30 pm Friday at Cy Ridge. They enter the contest with a 7-4-3 record.
The team had a strong second half of the season to make the playoffs. Key match ups that showed the Panthers strength were tying Cy Lakes and Cy Woods in their second games to redeem themselves after first round losses to both. They polished of the regular season with a 1-0 win over Bridgeland after losing to them 0-1 in the first round.
The Panthers attack is led by Bryan Garcia and Sebastian Alvarez on offense. Defensively Leonardo Marquez and Greg Morales are strong threats. Although many players have stepped up throughout the season and had timely impacts to secure their trip to the playoffs after two years away.
Key players share their highlights of the season below:
Senior left-wing Edward Perez, who also plays right-wing when needed, goal this year is to win state. He plans on working hard on his shots and he said he has only gotten this far because of discipline. Best thing this season for him was working out with his teammates. His best game this year was the 2nd game against Cy Lakes and his worst game was 1st game against Cy Woods. His most competitive opponent was the Cy Woods right back.
Inspirational quote-“Everything we’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.”
Varsity Captain Leonardo Marquez’s goal is to play professional soccer. He plans on playing soccer in college. He said he needs to work on discipline in school. His position is defense and what has gotten him so far is the support that his parents give him. This season’s best game was against Bridgeland and it was a home game, His worst game was against Cy Lakes and it was away. The best part about this season was making it to playoffs and his most competitive player was midfielder Bryan Garcia from Cy Lakes. Inspirational quote-“Hard work can take you anywhere.”
Right Wing Keven Guerra’s goal is to make it to the playoffs in college. He needs to work on his punctuality, what has gotten him this far was dedication and his coach making sure he stayed on task. Best thing about this season for him was the 1st game when they went against Paetow. Best game was the second game against Bridgeland and his worst game was against Cy Woods. Most competitive player he went against was left wing Geo from Langham Creek.
Inspirational quote- “You’ve only really failed when you give up.”