CORTEZ – The positive results keep piling up for Panthers girls soccer, and with it the résumé keeps building for postseason soccer.
Seeking to return to the 3A playoffs after missing out last year, Montezuma-Cortez is not only in line to make the field of 32, but the Panthers are on the doorstep of hosting a playoff contest for the first time in more than two decades.
Following a dominant 3-0 win over Pagosa Springs on Saturday and a 1-1 stalemate against league-leading Alamosa the day prior, the Panthers extended their unbeaten run to five straight matches, and now sit No. 11 in the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. The top 16 teams will get the opportunity to host in the opening round of the postseason in early May – and second-year head coach Melody Harris has her team primed to seize that honor.
The goals keep coming in droves for M-CHS – the Panthers (6-1-2, 3-1-1 3A IML) are averaging nearly three goals per match – but it isn’t just the finishing touch that has yielded 25 goals through nine matches. The buildup play from the back line continues to flummox defenses, as the Panthers have utilized their wings to stretch defenses and send in dangerous crosses.
Senior Luna Moore helps lead the charge for the aggressive M-CHS attack, while the Panthers’ depth allows for wave after wave of fresh legs to run at opposing defenses.
While the offense continues to pile up their impressive numbers, the defense has been equally difficult to unlock. A rare goal conceded against Alamosa snapped a stretch of over 310 consecutive shutout minutes for the Panthers ‘D’.
Junior halfbacks Camryn Oliver and Iyana Hafner join sophomore Graciela Vaughn in becoming steadying influences in the back four of the formation, feeding the midfielders alongside seniors Emily Howell and Halee Kibel. The combination passing led to numerous sequences against the Pirates where the visitors were left watching helplessly as the Panthers maneuvered downfield.
It didn’t take long for the Panthers to get on the board – just 11 minutes into the contest, M-CHS worked the ball to freshman Mia Glazner, who rocketed the ball into the net from just inside the box for her seventh goal of the season. Two minutes later, senior Jordi Mahler made her total a half dozen markers on the campaign, scoring from the left side of the box after some sharp passing to double the Panthers advantage.
Freshman Kyndall Schmitt, who was a menace on the left wing all day, sealed the win with a long-range effort that found the corner of the goal in the 61st minute.
Sophomore goalkeeper Reagan Veach made a couple saves when needed to snuff out the rare Pirate rushes, including reacting well off her line to clear away a couple of dangerous through balls, collecting her fourth clean sheet since taking over as the starting netminder.
Freshman Emilynn Hill scored her first high school varsity goal in the 26th minute against Alamosa – becoming the seventh different Panther to tally this year. She lobbed her shot over the Mean Moose goalkeeper from 20 yards out to give M-CHS a 1-0 advantage. The Panthers were unable to secure the victory, as Alamosa fired home from close range after goalmouth scramble following a free kick in the 58th minute.
The Panthers close out league play with a home match against Bayfield on Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. before a trip to Ridgway on Thursday for an 11 a.m. tilt.
