San Juan boys soccer season comes to a close in 2A state first round

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School boys soccer team entered the 2A Utah State Tournament ranked 20th, which meant their first round matchup would be on the road.
The Broncos indeed traveled all the way up to Sandy on Friday, April 26 to take on #13 Waterford. The Ravens opened the scoring with the only goal in the first half, then outscored San Juan 3-1 in the second.
The 4-1 final brought the Broncos’ season to a premature end, but the players can hold their heads high after competing hard all year.
Though they finish 2024 with a 1-12 record, many of their losses this season were by two goals or less.
Those games include a 4-2 loss to South Sevier on March 5, a 3-1 loss to Parowan on March 30, a 2-1 loss to South Sevier on April 2, a 2-1 loss to Millard on April 19, and a 1-0 double-overtime loss to Gunnison Valley on April 20.
The highlight of the season was the Broncos’ 4-3 upset win over Gunnison Valley on March 21. They almost beat the Bulldogs again on April 19, taking the game to double overtime before succumbing to their opponents 1-0.
Senior Parkar Sopena was San Juan’s leading scorer this season with three goals on the year. Freshman Jace Walker and sophomore Cole Duke both netted two apiece. Senior Everett Nielson and junior Taren Bayles rounded out the scoring with one goal each.
Goaltending statistics are very incomplete, but in the five games recorded on MaxPreps junior Javin Montella made an astounding 57 saves for an average of 11.4 saves per game.