After securing first in the Frontier League, the Middle Park girls soccer team advanced to the state championships. After 1-0 first round win over Thomas McLaren on May 7, they faced a tougher test against the 12-3 Loveland Classical Lions on May 10.

The down-to-the-wire contest was scoreless until the 72nd minute when Loveland scored with only eight minutes left in the match. They added a second goal with two minutes to go to win the match 2-0.

“The girls adjusted to the tempo and played a very tight and competitive second half, even though they gave up that pair of goals,” wrote Middle Park athletic director Scotty Hicks to Sky-Hi News.

Freshman goalkeeper Sydney Conroy had 22 saves on 24 shots.

This game signaled the unwelcome end of a memorable Panther’s season which ended with an impressive 13-4 record and a Frontier League championship. Prior to the loss against the Lions, the Panthers were riding high on an 11-game winning streak with seven shutouts in a row.

“We had a fantastic, fantastic season,” Coach Dino Kaplanis said. “We fell a little short than we were hoping, but the team was well rounded. It was great to see the younger kids combined with the older kids, which really made us a team.”

The team had nine seniors players this season. Coach Kaplanis added that seven players made first team all-conference, and two players were honorable mentions. Junior Aylin Rios, who led the team with 21 goals on the season, was honored as conference Player of the Year. She and Aubree Hanson were also nominated to the all-state team.

Coaches from across the league selected these nine players who will compete in an all-star game on May 19 at Pinnacle Charter School. The Middle Park coaches will also lead a team in this game.

Kaplanis said that he is proud of the players for never giving up and that the school should celebrate the team for the great season they had.

In honor of his tremendous season, Kaplanis received Coach of the Year in the league. He gave a shout out to his two assistant coaches — Tony DePlata and Jaime Rios — who were both instrumental to the team’s success.

“The Coach of the Year (award) is about all of our staff, not just an individual,” he said.