The regular season is underway for Highlands men’s soccer.
On the first official day of the regular season Aug. 12, the Highlanders traveled to Franklin for a season-opening match against their cross-county rivals. Despite falling to the Panthers 11-2, Highlands gained valuable experience versus a quality opponent that should pay dividends throughout the season.
Franklin wasted little time pressuring Highlands in the Panther Pit, with senior Ian Camacho-Mendoza winning a “50-50” ball just two minutes in. Camacho-Mendoza passed to sophomore Kevin Torres inside the Highlands half, and Torres beat the Highlands keeper to the left for the game’s first goal.
Highlands repelled several more Panther attacks in the next 18 minutes, until Franklin won a free kick deep inside the Highlands half in the 21st minute. There Camacho-Mendoza assisted Torres again, finding the sophomore just feet from Highlands’ goal with an excellent cross.
From there Franklin opened the floodgates with a flurry of goals in the next 10 minutes, including another from Torres, one from sophomore Salvador Rios and two from junior Greg Karcher. Karcher could have easily scored four goals in the half, after an earlier shot hit the right goalpost and another required an excellent save from Highlands keeper Chase Kenter. Belied by the match’s final score,Kenter made several tough saves throughout.
Seconds after Rios’s goal put Franklin up 6-0, Aniah McKim answered for Highlands, knifing through the right side of Franklin’s defense and finding the net. With six minutes left in the half McKim outdid himself, again breaking free of Panther defenders up the right sideline. Seeing Franklin’s keeper off his line, McKim struck a beautiful shot from 30 yards over the keeper’s head and into the goal.
Franklin responded in the final minute of the half, when Karcher found senior Graham Caldwell inside Highlands’ 18-yard box with a throw-in. Caldwell found the top left corner of the net to give the Panthers a 7-2 halftime lead.
Franklin stayed hot after the break, getting goals from Karcher and senior Josiah Mascorro in the second half’s first five minutes. Mascorro found the net again nine minutes later with a shot to the top left corner.
With 20 minutes to play junior Cristian Vasquez won the ball deep inside the Highlands half, and found the net with an excellent shot to the lower right corner from 25 yards. With Franklin’s lead at 11-2, officials ended the match by way of the nine-goal mercy rule.
Torres and Karcher led all Panthers with three goals apiece on the day, with Mascorro contributing two and Caldwell, Rios and Vasquez adding one apiece. Camacho-Mendoza looked sharp as a midfield distributor with four assists on the day, while Torres, Karcher and Mascorro added one apiece.
Highlands will be back in action on Monday, Aug. 19 at Madison County. The team’s first home game is scheduled for Aug. 22 against Reynolds.