Roswell sophomore forward Debrice Ashung scored twice Thursday, Oct. 8, in the Coyotes’ 4-3 victory over Clovis at Cielo Grande Sports Complex, raising his season total to 37 goals and setting a program record for goals in a season.
Ashung surpassed the previous record of 35 goals, which was set by forward Oscar Vela in each season from 2005-08, according to first-year Roswell head coach Robert Madrid. Vela holds the program’s career scoring record with 140 goals.Â
According to MaxPreps, Ashung has scored 51 goals in his two seasons with the Coyotes. He is also New Mexico’s leading scorer this season.
“I want to say thank you to God, my parents, my teammates and my coaches because it would not be possible without them,” Ashung said. “It feels amazing to hold the record. All the hard work and dedication I’ve put in this season has paid off and I’m really proud of what I’ve accomplished.”
Madrid praised Ashung’s performance this season and his athletic ability.
“I’m super impressed with what Ashung has done as a sophomore,” Madrid said. “He’s just a special athlete and he’s doing big things. What he’s done this year is out of this world.”
Ashung needed just 12 minutes to make history Thursday, scoring the opening goal of the match and his 36th of the season on an assist from sophomore forward Ronaldo Martinez, his best friend.Â
“Ronaldo and I were talking about him being the one to give me the assist before the game, so it means a lot to me that it happened like that,” Ashung said. “We’ve been putting in the work together since the summer and I feel like we’ve always been supportive of each other since middle school.”
Ashung scored his second goal in the first half, helping Roswell secure the one-goal victory.
With two more seasons of high school soccer remaining after this year, Ashung said he hopes to continue improving and eventually surpass his own record.
Roswell has positioned itself for a postseason run, carrying a 15-1-1 record and a 2-0-1 mark in District 4-5A play into the final stretch of the regular season. With three district games remaining and the state playoffs approaching, Ashung said winning a state championship would make the season even more memorable.
Marshall Mecham can be reached at (915) 232-1793 or on X @mecham_marshall. Mecham serves with the New Mexico Local News Fellowship, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across the state. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.
