Warriors Soccer Team gets a much needed district win

The Socorro Warriors soccer team wore their new black-out jerseys for their home victory against the Hot Springs Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 11, their first district win of the season. The jerseys feature player names on the back and pink lettering and a ribbon to show support for breast cancer awareness this month.

Javi Leon, Derek Acosta, and Kyle Berger each got two assists in the game. Kyle Berger scored three goals, Ben Watkins scored one, Derek Acosta scored one, and even goalie Danny Leon got some playing time up front and scored a goal. With an early lead, they were able to mix up positions and also give some younger players more time on the field.

“Proud of the kids. You know, some of our younger kids got some good playing time today, and some of them even got some shots off. So happy for that.” Head Coach Fred Berger said.

While they won that game 6-1, the Warriors were quickly reflecting on ways to improve and looking forward to their next game. Maintaining playing intensity and the wind were issues.

“We came out pretty aggressive. We went up 2-0, and after that second goal that we scored, we saw our team not be as aggressive. The wind, of course, is always a factor. We tried to get these kids to keep the ball down, and they did a pretty good job of that.” Head Coach Fred Berger said.

The Warriors are currently 6-12 overall and 1-5 in their district. They played at home against the Ruidoso Warriors on Tuesday, Oct. 14. The Ruidoso squad had won the previous district match between these two teams by a score of 3-1 in Ruidoso. This second match was a close battle all game. Kyle Berger tied it up 1-1 in the second half with a PK goal after a handball call, but a Ruidoso goal with only minutes remaining secured the Ruidoso win with a final score of 2-1.

Only two more games remain on their schedule for this season, both coming up within a week. The Warriors will take on the NMMI Colts again on Saturday, Oct. 18, this time in Socorro at 3 p.m. The Colts are a tough team that beat the Warriors 7-0 in Roswell earlier this season. Then the SHS soccer team travels to Truth or Consequences to take on the Hot Springs Tigers again on Oct. 21 at 5 p.m.