By Don Eskins
Winning on the District 4/5A circuit—in any sport—isn’t an easy task by any means. That’s especially true if you’re young, inexperienced, and riddled by injuries.
It’s a formula for defeat, a formula the Cavemen soccer team has been battling most of the season. And yes, because of their youth, inexperience, and injuries, winning has been a difficult task so far for the CHS kickers.
On Tuesday night, September 10, the Cavemen fell to 2-7 on the season after dropping a 2-0 decision to the Goddard Rockets.
“Our kids have been battling hard every game, but injuries are rampant on our team,” said head coach Mario Fierro, Jr. “Because of all the injuries, we’ve been playing a lot of freshmen. It’s been a good situation for them since they’re getting a lot of much needed playing time, and it should help our depth down the road.
“So, we’re approaching each game as an opportunity to grow,” he said. “However, we do have one thing going for us. We have a long stretch ahead of us before we open up district play on October 1. Hopefully, by then, we’ll have everybody healthy and ready to go.”
Another hurdle the Cavemen have been dealing with this season is the amount of time they’ve spent traveling. Since opening up 2024 play in Carlsbad on August 23-24, they’ve played seven games on the road. They’ll pack their bags and hit the road for two more games before returning home to host the Artesia Bulldogs on Tuesday, September 17.
Although wrestling with injuries and a lack of experience, the Cavemen did show some signs of growth on September 7 after registering a 5-2 victory over the Alamogordo Tigers. Offensively, it was their most productive game of the season.
In collecting the win, CHS got two goals and an assist from Jhovany Juarez.
“We still have the biggest part of the season ahead of us, district, and hopefully state,” said Fierro. “So, right now, our top priority is to get everybody healthy and keep them that way until we take on the Clovis Wildcats in our District opener on October 1.”
CHS will take on the Lovington Wildcats on Saturday, September 14, in Lovington. The JVs will take the field at 10 a.m., the varsity at noon.
CHS 5, Alamo 2 Recap
First Half: Joshiah Workman scored on an assist from Ike Anderson. Also scoring were Parker Hamill and Jhovany Juarez. Second Half: Sebastian Castillo scored on an assist from Jhovany Juarez. Also scoring was Jhovany Juarez.
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