The Pagosa Springs High School Pirate boys’ soccer team picked up its first win of the season on Saturday, Sept. 5, at home over Aztec.
The Pirates defeated the Tigers, from New Mexico, 10-0 and now hold a 1-1 record and the No. 18 spot in the Colorado 3A rankings.
“We came out [and] we maintained possession really well,” said coach Trevor Gian. “[We] created some opportunities the way we wanted to. We were planning on working on some stuff within that game to kind of help us prepare for this upcoming weekend, and I thought we did a good job of that.”
Seven different Pirates scored in the game. Ryder King and Samson Dennis led the team with two goals each. Niilo Peietila, Cole Tator, Elmer Castillo, Zaiden Adams and Ryan Rich all scored one goal apiece.
Gian emphasized that his varsity starters were able to practice possessing the ball within their formation and had some quality finishes in the game.
He noted he also got a chance to put in some of his younger players in the game and gave them a chance to prove themselves amongst the varsity team.
“I’ll be honest, some of those players stepped up and [they were] really impressive getting on the field,” said Gian about the younger guys.
Up next, the Pirates will face Manitou Springs, who are 0-0-2, on Friday, Sept. 11, in Manitou Springs.
Though they are yet to win yet, the Mustangs are ranked 12th in 3A after tying the No. 3-ranked 3A team and the No. 2-ranked 2A team.
“You know, we can hopefully set the tone in a game,” Gian said. “In an ideal world, we’re not chasing against Manitou, but we’re gonna go out strong.”
Ahead of the game, Gian indicated he wants to see his team continue to work on playing out of their shape and executing the game plan at a high level.
He added he knows that the game against Manitou Springs will be a good test and they’re going to come after the Pirates early, but if his team does the right things, it’ll be “a heck of a match.”
Action is set to begin at 6 p.m.
The Pirates will then close out the week with an away game at James Irwin on Saturday, Sept. 12.
The Jaguars are 1-4 to start the year and are ranked 56th in 3A.
This is the first time the two team have met in more than 15 years.
The game is set to begin at 11 a.m. in Colorado Springs.
>