Playing on a wet and muddy field in Pagosa Springs on Sept. 14, the Montezuma-Cortez High School Panthers boys soccer team lost 4-0 to the Pagosa Springs High School Pirates.
For the Panthers, the loss was their third straight, dropping the team’s season record to 1-3-0. With the win, the Pirates improved to 2-2-0.
According to head coach Sean Fitzgerald, small mistakes irked the Panthers and eventually led to the loss.
“The boys were just not prepared throughout the game,” said Fitzgerald. “Little mistakes in the back killed us. All four of their goals occurred on mistakes by us that we need to clean up.”
Still, Panthers’ players and coaches took away some positives.
“We played better,” said Giuseppe Privetera. “We didn’t play very well in the first half, but in the second half, we went onto the field very determined. We tried to improve, and we did.”
“We were on our attacking half of the field sixty-percent of the time, but we just couldn’t score,” Fitzgerald said.
Speaking of needed improvements, Privetera stated, “We need to talk more and play the ball on the ground. We need to try to shoot more.”
“We definitely need to focus on our first touch,” added Fitzgerald. “Our first touch has killed us in every game. A lot of it has to do with repetitions and experience.”
Up next for the Panthers are tough league matchups at home against Grand Junction and Montrose on Sept. 19 and Sept. 20 respectively. As always, local fans are encouraged to attend.