| Jose Munoz’s leg is a powerful weapon for the Dinos. Munoz scored both of the goals for Carbon in their final game of the season against Cedar. He is also one of three starters returning to a strong Dino squad next season. |
It was a season of almosts. Games stayed withing reach until the end.The same was said for the Dinos exit from the playoffs. The final score of a 6-2 loss to Cedar City does not sum up the story of a hard fought game.
Cedar did score quickly to put the Dinos in a hole last Wednesday. Cedar added two more before Jose Munoz got Carbon on the board. Six minutes later Munoz scored again on a penalty kick and suddenly they were right back in the game, trailing only by a point with only 26 minutes left in the game.
But Cedar was able to prove why they were the top ranked team in their region and bore down to put three more in the net to finish off the Dinos.
“We were in the game until the end,” remarked Coach Patrick Clifford. “The score doesn’t reflect the game at all. It is frustrating to start the playoffs in enemy territory instead of a neutral location. It definitely makes things harder than they should be. Our boys played a hard fought game and came out on the short end. I am tremendously proud of them and their effort.”
He summed up the season as one that had his team coming a long way in their skills and their abilities. “It was a positive experience for me and I think it was for the team as well.” He went on to point out that this year’s team racked up six wins compared to only a pair last year with many of the same players.
He was also pleasantly surprised by some new faces in his senior ranks. For Travis Hobbs, Brandon Dadgari and Spenser Dennison it was the first time they had come out for the team.However their contributions to the team were invaluable.
The team will lose 11 seniors and some new faces are going to have to step up to the plate and show they are ready to be a starter. Three starters returning will be Cal Samuelson, Jose Munoz and Fernando Mendoza.All three were critical to the success of this years.
Clifford is ready to come back for another year and hopes most of his team will participate in a team soccer camp this summer to help them find the final magic they need to move to the next level. His JV squad was as solid as his varsity this season, so the future looks bright for the soccer team that just missed this season.