The boys soccer team beat conference rival South Dade 5-2 at home on Wayne Moore Field, November 17th. Coming off of a 5-11 season, the Panthers found early success through the motivation of head coach Hermann Amador and a veteran-laden group with 17 upperclassmen in total.

The Panthers entered the game as the second-place team in 5A District 16. With potential postseason implications on the line and a matchup against first-place Ferguson looming, the Panthers relied on the efforts of senior forwards Matthew Posada and captain Cristian Araujo to deliver a commanding win.

Araujo opened the scoring with an early short-range goal assisted by Posada who would continue to score the second goal shortly after an equaliser by the visiting Buccaneers.

The boys soccer team came firing in the second-half, with Araujo striking his second goal of the game and team-leading ninth goal of the year. After taking a year off from Palmetto boys soccer last year to focus on playing the Kendall Soccer Academy, Araujo was ready to prove that his time away payed dividends.

“It made me a better player because I had practices every day and the people I played against were the best my age,” Araujo said.

The team captain cemented his status as the player of the match by assisting teammate Christopher Correa’s mid-range goal that put the game out of reach for the Buccaneers.

At the tail-end of the victory a South Dade defender was taken off the field after an apparent serious knee injury, putting yet another negative note in a disappointing 1-1-3 season for the Buccaneers. Matthew Posada scored a stoppage-time free kick goal immediately after the opponent’s injury and right before the final whistle, a goal that hit the top crossbar and left the goalkeeper looking for the ball as it somehow found it’s way into the left-corner of the net.

After this victory and a previous win against defending district champion Varela, the experienced leadership and potent striking that has helped the Panthers should be indication for a promising season.