PV boys off to fast start: Panthers capture Aztec Tiger Shootout
Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Piedra Vista junior Diego Quezada (21) gains control of the ball in the first round of the Aztec Tiger Shootout against the Bosque Bobcats. PV captured the tournament title with a 3-0 win over city rival Farmington.
AZTEC, N.M. – The Piedra Vista boys soccer team is off to a great start early in the 2023 season.
The Panthers captured the Aztec Tiger Shootout last week by outscoring their opponents 12-2 during the two-day, eight-team tournament.
PV opened the annual tournament with a tough match as they battled past Albuquerque private school Bosque 3-2.
The Panthers then finished off the tournament with a pair of shutouts. PV defeated Bloomfield 6-0 in the semi-final match and 3-0 over Farmington in a rematch of last year’s title game.
“We had a good tournament,” PV coach Matt Cramer said. “I’m a new coach and they’re buying into what we’re teaching them. We’re seeing the results of what the boys have been doing over the summer.”
In the championship game, junior forward Noah Bouren led the Panthers with two goals while junior back Daelin Burks chipped in the third score.
“Daelin Burks played phenomenally on defense,” Cramer said. “He also scored a goal, and he had an assist.”
The PV coach added that junior midfielder Uriel Garcia played a “monster” role at his position.
“He pretty much controlled the pace of the game,” Cramer said of his pupil.
The 3-0 start to the young season is in stark contrast to what the Panthers did last season. The team finished the 2022 season with an 0-19-1 mark, which included some forfeits.
“Realistically, they only won three games and then something happened,” Cramer said. “They had to forfeit three games.
“We’ve already won as many games as last year, so it’s a good start,” he added.
The PV coach said the team has struggled with confidence in the past, but with its start, Crammer said, there is something to be excited about.
“It was important to get over that hurdle early in the season,” he said. “We realized that we could play any of these teams.”
Although this is his first season coaching at PV, Cramer has valuable experience coaching at the club level. He inherited a mixture of talent at all grade levels.
“We got six seniors, seven juniors and the rest are sophomores,” he said. “So, we’re in the middle of the road in terms of years, but most of our kids have varsity experience, so that’s good.”
Besides Bouren and Garcia, Cramer said senior forward Braden Endrizzi should make an impact for his club.
As for expectations, the first-year coach would like his team to compete in every game they play in.
“We have a tough district, and we haven’t done well in the last couple of years, so we’re looking to compete in every game we’re in,” Cramer said. “We’re young into the season, but we’re getting better every day.
“I like the spirit that we got, and we’re ready to roll,” he added.
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