MIT Academy Middle School soccer team finished second in the 2023 league championships.  This is the first year the school has had a soccer team.

The odds were against the team given that they only started practicing a week before league play began and did not have a proper soccer field on which to practice.  The mighty players were not disheartened.  Using their abundance of gumption, pluck and enthusiasm, Coach Jimenez led the team through a remarkable season.  They had two losses, one tie and four wins.  Coach Jimenez said, “we played all the games with GANAS!”

The league is composed of ten teams, all of whom have more experience that the MIT Academy.  Coach Jimenez said, “going to the finals and getting second place was a fantastic feeling.  I’m very proud of all my players.”

Coach Jimenez would like to thank all of the parents who made the trip to Richmond, and Chris Owens and John Bibbs for their logistical and administrative support.

The team captains were Lucero Jimenez, Kevin Santana, Roque Camacho and Kevin Ochoa.

Jimenez is the only girl on the team.  She said, “for the first game I felt nervous because I was the only girl on the team.  But I did make a goal and one assist so that made me feel better.”  She added that winning feels good.

Santana said the secret to the team’s success is “having enough communication.  We spoke really well with each other.”

Ochoa said that the secret to the teams success is chemistry.  “Since we started practicing, we all got along really well.  It helps having chemistry because you just know how a person plays.  You’ll have an idea of what their next move is.”

Camacho said that winning second places feels “great!  It’s a step in the schools development toward a good sports program.  I’m definitely going to play soccer for MIT in high school.”

Coach Jimenez said,”this season was short, but it was worth it because all the players improved.  I’m hoping that next year we can make it happen again.  LET’S GO MIT!”