This story is part of The Washington Sun’s All-DMV coverage. All-DMV is a new collaboration between The Sun, Fox 5 DC, NBC4 Washington and WTOP News, aimed at covering the D.C. area’s best high school athletes. You can find past players of the week and more information about All-DMV here.
Week 10 of the high school soccer season marked the first opportunity for the DMV’s best to earn postseason hardware. Here’s who stood out in a consequential stretch:
Matthew Caban, Junior, Forward, Wootton
Caban missed a chunk of the Wootton boys’ regular season after picking up an injury in early September. He returned in October and has been lights-out ever since — the junior forward has scored four goals and seven assists in Wootton’s last six matches, five of which were wins.
Trending
In the team’s region semifinal matchup against Northwood last week, his goal helped Wootton race out to a 2-0 first-half lead. After the Gladiators responded with two goals in the final 15 minutes of the second half, Caban drew a crucial penalty kick with less than three minutes left. The Patriots put it away to advance to the next round of the playoffs in a 3-2 win.
Giselle Falcon, Senior, Forward, Good Counsel
The aptly named Falcon, one of the Good Counsel girls’ senior captains, spent much of October abroad, representing Puerto Rico in the FIFA U17 World Cup in Morocco. She returned home just in time for the Falcons’ Washington Catholic Athletic Conference playoff push last week and made her mark, scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 semifinal win over St. John’s. She then scored another goal to help send Sunday’s title game against Paul VI to penalty kicks.
She scored the deciding goal in the shootout as Good Counsel earned its 15th conference title under longtime coach Jim Bruno.
“Every time she touched the ball [Sunday], the flock of defenders was amazing, how they came up on her,” Bruno said. “You have to account for her if you’re the other team, no matter what you think.”
Elias Hughes, Junior, Goalkeeper, The Heights
The Heights boys climbed back to the top of the WCAC on Sunday, earning a 1-0 victory over Gonzaga to clinch their third conference title since joining in 2019. Hughes, the team’s reliable goalkeeper, kept a clean sheet against one of the most potent offenses in the DMV.
His key saves were vital in the win, which helped The Heights avenge last year’s 1-0 loss to the Eagles in the same game. The win also capped an undefeated season for coach Colin Gleason’s team, a campaign that included victories over many of the top teams in the region.
“His distribution, his game management … his impact was enormous,” Gleason said of his keeper.
Chiara Mizzo, Senior, Forward, Potomac School
Mizzo closed out her regular season on a tear for the Potomac School girls. The senior — who leads the Panthers’ attack alongside her twin sister, Kaida — scored two goals in a 4-0 win over Holton-Arms last week.
The victory helped Potomac School clinch the regular season Independent School League title against one of the area’s top programs. The Panthers capped off their regular season with a 5-1 win over National Cathedral on Monday and now enter the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak.
Morgan Parks, Junior, Forward, Eleanor Roosevelt
Parks has been a crucial offensive piece in another dominant season for the Eleanor Roosevelt girls, who last week earned a victory over CMIT North in the Prince George’s County title game and later started their postseason quest for a state title with a 7-0 rout of Paint Branch.
Parks came out blazing hot in the latter win. She scored a hat trick in the first 13 minutes, then later added a fourth goal as the Raiders ran away with the win. The junior is now up to 14 goals and two assists on the season.
Oswaldo Reynosa, Senior, Midfield, Parkdale
The Parkdale boys won another Prince George’s County title in dominant fashion last week, handing Fairmont Heights its first loss of the season with a 6-0 victory to win the crown. Reynosa, the team’s steady senior leader, scored the opening goal in the contest as the Panthers rolled to a comfortable win.
Days later, Reynosa helped coach William Sama’s team to a 3-0 win over DuVal in the opening round of the playoffs. With Reynosa leading the charge, the Panthers once again look like bona fide Maryland 4A state title contenders.
Author
