Panthers finish soccer season in second place

The Maricopa Wells Middle School soccer team lost a single game during the regular season, finishing in second place in their league with a 7-1 record in league play.

Starting the season with a young team after losing several players to high school, Coach Shannon Hull said members of the team had their eyes opened Nov. 13, their third game of the season, when Stanfield handed the Panthers their first loss. The boys were able to bounce back from the loss and defeat the rest of their opponents, going into the semifinals 7-1.

“Every game we improved,” Hull said.

Hull also noted the team made several adjustments to the line-up and positions the boys played throughout the season.

In the semifinals, the Panthers beat Eloy 3-1 on Dec. 11 and moved on to the finals where the team faced Stanfield for a second time. Maricopa Wells was unable to even the season games losing to Stanfield a second time 6-1 on Dec. 13 and dropping their season record to 8-2. With a second-place finish for its league, Hull said more importantly the finals game gave the team things to work on for the future and ideas for where it will be going next season.

Hull noted that several players shined this season, including the team’s leading scorer, Aaron Mendez, the up-and-coming star, Caleb St. Gelais, and the MVPs for offense and defense, Carlos Cano and Santiago Manzo.

Submitted photo