MAXWELL, CA (MPG) – In just its fourth year in existence, the Maxwell Panther boy’s soccer team made a historic appearance in the Northern Section CIF Division III playoffs as the No. 1 seed after finishing 11-1 in the regular season.
But after receiving a first round bye, the Panthers could not hold off the visiting No. 4 Colusa RedHawks in a match on Feb. 25 and as a result were on the short end of the 3-1 final score in what was just their second loss of the year.
At the outset however, it was Maxwell striking first after Celestino Corona put the first point of the match on the board.
Not to be outdone though, Colusa, which was without three of its senior starters, responded with the equalizer when Alexis Casorla found the back of the net.
It was the first goal of the season for the junior and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the RedHawks as it boosted their momentum.
in the semifinal round of the NSCIF D3 playoffs.
Keeping the pressure on the Panthers, Colusa then got the go-ahead score in the 23rd minute off the foot of Kenneth Arias.
Eight minutes later the RedHawks added an insurance goal when Karim Cruz slipped one past the dive of Maxwell goalkeeper Massey Baker to give his team a 3-1 lead heading into halftime.
To their credit, the Panthers did not quit and dominated the second half possession, but the Colusa defense led by David Garcia, Abimael Fuerte and goalkeeper Oscar Ramos fended off a barrage of shots including two set pieces from just outside the box.
For the season, Maxwell outscored their opponents 76 – 12 and although they lose seven seniors to graduation, they will have a strong core of returners including Corona, Yahir Alcaraz, Omar Rosales and Erik New to rely upon next year.