For a squad light on experience, the Manitou Springs boys soccer team is playing with a seasoned flow in the early stages of the 2022 fall season.
After putting up 10 goals in its opening win against Dolores Huerta and traveling to Gunnison to get a close 2-0 win over the Cowboys, the Mustangs went out and put their most impressive feather in their cap on Sept. 1.
They traveled across town to take on rival St. Mary’s and, after a hard-fought contest, came away with a 2-0 win.
“That rivalry has so much history there,” coach Ben Mack said. “It always feels good to stick it to St. Mary’s. It was a physical game and they were ready for it.”
The first goal for the Mustangs (4-0 overall) came on a penalty kick in the first half from junior Graham Beckum.
Lukas Merz added the second goal in the second half, but what really sunk the Pirates was the physical game they tried to play, which earned them a red card. That took a player off the field in the second half, and the Mustangs were able to maintain their composure and milk the advantage to come away with the win.
“Refs aren’t going to win or lose games and I keep saying that,” Mack said. “If we believe we’re the better team and go out there and play our game and the more we get tied into the mental aspect, the more it levels the playing field. We don’t want to lose our composure.”
The Mustangs certainly had a chance to put more goals on the board with Evan Yount firing off 10 shots in the contest, but when Deric French is turning away every shot that comes his way, two goals is more than enough.
The Sept. 6 trip to Alamosa was just as fruitful as the Mustangs came away with a 5-0 win. With four wins in the bag and a 19-0 total score, it’s safe to say that Mack thinks his team is far ahead of what he expected.
“We look good,” he said. “We look better than I thought we would at this point. They’re buying into what we’re saying as coaches, the system we’re playing and our leadership this year.”
The Mustangs face a tough test as they host Vanguard on Thursday, Sept. 8.