6th/7th graders surging into the playoffs

The 6th/7th graders played their best game of the year in the regular season finale, shutting out their opponent 5-0 Saturday at West Sunset.

Alan tied a St. Mary's soccer record for most goals in a season set by Eloy in 2011 by scoring four goals in the team's fifth win of the year.

And for the first time, Andre found the back of the net, when he closed the scoring late in the 4th quarter.

At (5-1-2), the 6th/7th graders secured the second seed in their division, and will play a team that they tied 1-1 earlier this season.

All season, the boys were knocking on the doorstep but were just off by a little bit, which really watered down the goals overall.

But Saturday, they had energy right off the opening kick, as Andre sent a beautiful cross into the box, which Alan healed into the net to begin his four goal game.

There's no doubt about it that Alan is the best goal scorer on the team, and the other forwards and mid-fielders put Alan in some great positions to come through.

Particularly The Twins, Joseph and Thomas, who have improved so much in their third season of soccer at St. Mary's, as they both set up Alan nicely for his goals on the afternoon.

Jeffrey and Andre also played some real strong games in the mid-field and attack zones.

The unsung heroes are the defense, who after two bad games, came back with two real good games. After giving up one goal last week, they pitched a shutout in the rematch of the season opener.

When these two teams last met, Alan scored a goal literally seconds before the game ended, and the 6th/7th grade won 1-0.

A little less than two months later, the same two teams played, but with such different results.

Now it's a one week break for the 6th/7th graders, as they have a bye in the last week of the regular season. Two weeks from Saturday, they will be playing in their first soccer playoff game.

For the St. Mary's boys, most who have been playing since 3rd grade, this is going to be a big first, as they have come a long way from the years where they would score a handful of goals all season at most.