CORTEZ – To say that the Intermountain League girls soccer title chase will be wide-open might be a drastic understatement.
Of the 12 matches contested between the IML competitors last spring, only two of them were decided by a difference of more than one goal. Five of the contests ended in draws, of which the Panthers took part in three.
With such narrow margins, second-year head coach Melody Harris knows that her Panthers’ opportunity to stake their claim will require them to focus on doing the little things well. After their opening weekend of IML action, the Panthers continue to brim with confidence, off to the program’s hottest start in 15 years thanks to wins over Pagosa Springs (3-0) and Ignacio (7-0), sandwiched around a loss to Alamosa (3-0).
Already at their win total from a year ago, the Panthers (3-1-1, 3A 1-1-0 IML) bounced back from a tough home loss on Friday to the Mean Moose with a comprehensive win the next morning on the road in snowy Pagosa Springs (1-2-0, 0-1-0 3A IML). The Panthers peppered the Pirates goal for the first half hour, then finally got their breakthrough when freshman midfielder Amani Lobato fired home from 12 yards out to notch her first high school goal three minutes before halftime.
The Panthers offense didn’t relent in the second half, with freshmen Kyndall Schmitt and Di’Nya Manual scoring within two minutes of one another in a decisive stretch to cement the victory.
“We’ve got an attacking mindset,” said Harris after the snowy victory, “and we have so many girls that are capable of scoring goals for us.”
Slick passing and movement off the ball helped the Panthers unlock the Pirates defense, a sign that M-CHS is gaining their chemistry with each passing match.
“The girls are really figuring out the formation that we’ve been working on in practice,” added Harris, as the Panthers lean on a strong midfield to create chances for their potent attack.
Sophomore goalkeeper Reagan Veach collected a clean sheet in her first start as the Panthers netminder, while the back line of seniors Halee Kibel and Emily Howell, juniors Camryn Oliver and Iyana Hafner joined sophomore Graciela Vaughn to limit the Pirates to very few quality chances.
The Panthers battled an April Fool’s Day wintry squall against the Bobcats, and while the pelting snow made it difficult to see, a relentless M-CHS attack could happily watch the ball punching the back of the net in their 7-0 victory.
Senior Jordi Mahler tallied her first goals since 2023 after having missed her junior campaign due to injury, scoring a brace in the win. Manual also added a pair of goals, while classmate Mia Glazner tallied her second goal of the season.
A pair of Panthers collected their first high school tallies against Ignacio, as Schmitt and sophomore Kaybree Smith both hit the target in the rout.
In addition, a 1-0 win over Telluride on Mar. 27 marked the first time since 2016 that the Panthers upended the Miners, with Manual scoring the lone goal of the match.
“There’s still room for growth, whether it’s with finishing our chances or building out of the back and making combination passes,” said Harris, “but the potential is definitely there.”
The Panthers wrap up their three-match string of IML opponents when they travel to Bayfield on Tuesday, Apr. 8 for another high stakes contest, followed by a home contest this Saturday, Apr. 12 against Rifle at 1 p.m.
This article was updated April 6 to reflect the current roster.
