The small contingent fans who came out for Panorama’s inaugural varsity soccer home games Thursday night saw a double dose of history. Yesterday marked the first-ever high school varsity soccer matches play at Panorama Stadium as the Panthers played host to the Grand View Christian Thunder. Panorama took both games from Grand View Christian, opening the evening with a 12-0 victory in the girl’s contest and the boys following up with a 3-2 win in double-overtime.
Panorama’s girl’s soccer team scored early and often with the game concluding at halftime due to the 10 goal mercy rule. Four freshmen combined to scored all dozen points in the victory, including seven goals apiece for sisters Audrey and Paige Cmelik. Ella Waddle registered three goals and Deanna Solorzano rounded out the scoring with a pair of goals. Audrey Cmelik spoke with Raccoon Valley Radio after the game about what it was like playing the first ever varsity soccer game at Panorama. “We were all (nervous) at first, but the adrenaline started kicking in, and we were ready to play with each other.” Cmelik said, “We get along together cause we’re in such a small school and it’s fun to be able to show what we got.”
Victory didn’t come so easy for the Panther boys soccer team, who needed additional time to secure the first victory in program history. Tied at two goals apiece entering the first two minutes of the second overtime, senior Blaine Barber fired the game-winning shot into the back of the net to notch the doubleheader sweep. Barber spoke to Raccoon Valley Radio after the game about the game winning goal, which was the first one recorded in his high school career. “I had a lot of shots out there, didn’t put many on goal, but it’s a team effort,” Barber said, “We’ve just been pounded the ball into the middle on those cross (passes) and I had to finish one of them.”
Panorama’s pair of regulation goals came off the foot of sophomore foreign exchange student Geon “Sam” Sim of South Korea. The win improves the Panorama girls soccer team to 1-0 on the season, while the Panther boys soccer team evens their overall mark at 1-1. Both teams return to the pitch Tuesday in a nonconference match at Logan-Magnolia.