The Johnston boys, soccer team’s bounce back season continued on Tuesday night when it beat visiting Prout 2-0 to pick up its third straight victory and remain in the Division III playoff hunt.
The two teams were scoreless until deep in the first half but the Panthers would get on the board when junior Sebastian Saucedo found the back of the net to give Johnston the advantage. Although the Crusaders created more opportunities in the second half, Steven Vera Vaca would tally a score to double the advantage that would be maintained the rest of the way.
The Johnston offense has surged during the streak, putting up 12 goals in three games. Spreading the ball around and passing more consistently has opened the door for more scoring chances, according to Vera Vaca.
“We’ve been working hard at practice and since the last game, our coach told us that we had to start passing more. We’ve been passing better, we’ve been listening to our coaches, our captains,” said Vera Vaca.
On the flipside, the Panthers have only allowed two goals in that streak.
“We’ve got really good defenders, guys like (senior captain) Miguel Santamaria. It’s really thanks to our coaches, they’ve helped us a lot,” Vera Vaca said.
The win streak has propelled the Panthers into the playoff hunt and they will look to finish strong down the stretch to hopefully set up a deep run come the postseason. It has been a long time coming for Johnston, who only won one game in the previous two seasons combined.
“We got some new players this year that have been really good and the rest of us worked really hard every day over the summer. We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing and continue to get better. Like our coach says, we have to keep our heads up all the time,” said Vera Vaca.
The Panthers will next take on Toll Gate on the road on Thursday.