The Goddard and Roswell boys’ soccer teams will renew their rivalry for 2026 as they face off 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at Goddard High School.
This will be the Rockets’ first game of the season, while the Coyotes opened theirs with a 5-0 win over New Mexico Military Institute on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the Cielo Grande Sports Complex.
Roswell (1-0) swept the season series against Goddard last year, winning 2-0 and 6-0. The Coyotes have defeated the Rockets five consecutive times. Goddard last defeated Roswell was Sept. 5, 2023, when the Rockets won 2-1 at the Sports Complex.
Last season, Roswell finished 12-8 and missed the state tournament. Goddard went 4-16 and also missed the playoffs.
‘Important to win’ rivalry game for Roswell
This year, Roswell returns a strong core that includes Axel Sanchez, Hiram Alvarado and Debrice Ashung.
Head coach Robert Madrid said it is crucial to start the season strong, especially against Goddard, who competes in a lower class.
“It’s important to win that rival game,” Madrid said. “They’re a 4A team, so dropping a result against them is really damaging to our ranking in 5A. They have a good squad that’s going to compete, but I think we can win.”
Defeating Roswell would be ‘one of the biggest wins’ of the year for Goddard
Goddard returns key players in Josh Hester, Braden McDaniel and Erik Nunez.
Head coach Carlton Gillette said the team will start the season as underdogs against the higher-classed Coyotes, but that he believes it will be competitive.
“It’s the first game, so we always want to get off on the right foot,” Gillette said. “Winning the game would be one of the biggest wins of the year.”
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.
