After defeating the Number 2 team in the state McKinney Boyd 2-0, the Panthers soccer will now take on Lewisville Flower Mound in the third round of the playoffs Tuesday.

“I am super happy for the kids they worked very very hard,” coach Nuno Passos said. “It took everybody, every single player sliding, jumping, playing hard and everybody doing what they had to do to defeat this team.”

The game was scoreless through the first half of play as the Panthers had the wind playing against them. Going into the second half of play thye found themselves in a position to score.

“We knew if we could keep it scoreless in the first we would have the wind for us in the second,” Passos said. “Then we would have a better chance to put the ball in the net.”

Sophomore midfielder Jonathan Macias took the first shot at the goal with just over 12 minutes left in the game giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead. Boyd then answered with a chip shot with just over eight minutes in the game. This wasn’t enough to slow Macias down as he quickly beat the Boyd goalie again for the game winning score with barely six minutes left in the game.

“I had no words after the final goal,” Macias said. “Once I saw the ball going into the net, I lost it. I did not know how to react I just went crazy.”

The Varsity soccer team has a record of 14-6 and remains alive in the playoffs just like their upcoming opponent who also has 14 wins and a few upsets in the playoffs so far.

“We’re playing really well at the end of the year and that is what is most important,” Passos said. “Who ever is playing the best soccer at the end of the year has a chance. We did not start real strong, but we’re getting stronger.”

The team this year has matched last year’s team and now they feel they have to prove themselves and keep winning.

“We can work as hard as the team did last year,” Macias said. “I believe we can get to the place where we were last year and go farther than they did. It’s about hard work and dedication”

Macias is one of the shortest players on the team but has managed to pull off six goals this year against some tough competition both in district and in the playoffs.

“I was so happy, we deserved it, all of us, we worked our butts off and manage to pull off a big win in the end,” Macias said. “When I saw the size of the other players I was terrified, but I knew if I played hard enough I could get to every ball and win it.”

Since anything can happen in soccer, Passos is very proud of the hard work the team has put in. He is looking forward to another challenge Tuesday as they look to advance to the Regional Tournament.

“They have amazed me,” Passos said. “When the opposing team is against the ropes and have doubt in their eyes we have to knock them out. We almost did not knock them out but we did. I am very proud of the guys.

Stay tuned for detail on the time and location of Tuesday’s game.