Ethan Greni
ASU Student Journalist

Coronado drops Senior Night match to Trivium Prep

January 28, 2020 by Ethan Greni, Arizona State University


Coronado, down 2-0, regroups before taking the field for the second half. (Ethan Greni/AZPreps365)

Ethan Greni is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Coronado High School for AZPreps365.com

Fora high school athletes, Senior Night is typically one of the most memorable games of their careers. It’s a time to celebrate all the memories.

For Coronado’s girls soccer team, this rang true, even after a 6-0 loss to Trivium Prep.

“As a senior, it’s very hard to leave, because I love being with all these girls,” team captain Breanna Ramirez said. “I think (I’ll miss) our bus rides, we all get crazy and loud, and we’re a team, it’s really fun.”

Added senior Mellisa Gutierrez: “It was amazing, I’m just happy that I got to play one last time. Just seeing everyone grow through the years is really amazing.”

On the field, this season has been a rough one for the  Dons. After losing Tuesday, they are now 0-10, with one game remaining.

But you’d never guess it by looking at these players, and the way they always find something positive to take away from each game.

“It was a very tough game, but I feel like as a team, we did really (well),” Ramirez said. “We’ve had a rough year, but we stuck to it and played our hearts out.”

Coronado coach and Athletic Director Tony Miller echoed his players sentiments.

“(I saw) a lot of heart. This has been an emotional week for them,” Miller said. “We saw a lot of the seniors really step up tonight, they showed their leadership.”

The Crimson Knights continued their undefeated season, improving to 10-0. Senior Lauren McGuire scored three goals in the second half, including two in the final 10 minutes.

Don’t be fooled by the lopsided score, however. The Dons kept it close through the first 40 minutes, only trailing 2-0.

“The second half, their depth kind of overtook ours,” Miller said. “They were a much deeper roster, they had more players, and I think that helped them in the second half.

“It was great to see that our girls fought the entire game, they didn’t give up.”

Coronado also got some help along the way, with two Trivium Prep shots going off the post in the 26th and 63rd minutes.

The Crimson Knights scored first in the eighth minute after junior Brooke Olson finished a centering pass from freshman Harleigh Bender.

Trivium Prep dominated the middle of the field, forcing Coronado’s attack to try and advance down the sidelines.

Still, even after a disappointing end to their home schedule, the Dons remained confident and upbeat.

“What I enjoyed the most was being a part of a family,” Gutierrez said. “It wasn’t just a team, it was like a family. You could count on everyone to be there.”

Coronado wraps up its  season Feb. 4 at Phoenix Country Day.