The No. 2-seeded Roswell boys soccer team saw its Class 5A state tournament run end Wednesday night at Cielo Grande Sports Complex, falling 2-1 to No. 15 Centennial in a first-round upset.
Despite the loss, the Coyotes finished with an 18-2-1 record, the second-best in program history. Only the 2013 team had a better mark, going 22-1 and winning the Class 4A state championship with a 1-0 victory over Albuquerque Academy.
But the season’s success went beyond the final record, said first-year head coach Robert Madrid.
“I’m super proud of our work as a whole team,” Madrid said. “To be 18-1-1 in the regular season and go to the state tournament as a two seed is a huge accomplishment.”
After opening the season with three straight victories, Roswell suffered its first setback Aug. 28, losing 1-0 to Chaparral in the opening game of the Las Cruces Invitational. The Coyotes then responded by going 15-0-1 over their next 16 regular season games. The stretch included a 5-0-1 mark in District 4-5A, securing their first district championship since 2024.
“We have soccer class the last two periods of the day this school year,” Madrid said. “We were able to watch film, build game plans together, break down the schedule and have more attention to detail on top of practice.”
The Coyotes also made their mark in the record books. They scored 114 goals during the season, setting a school record. Sophomore forward Debrice Ashung led the charge, scoring 39 goals to set the program’s single-season scoring record for goals by an individual player. Ashung surpassed the previous mark of 35 goals held by Oscar Vela, who reached that total each season from 2005 through 2008.
Ashung’s record-breaking campaign was complemented by productive seasons from senior forward Axel Sanchez and senior midfielder Hiram Alvarado. Sanchez finished second on the team with 30 goals, while Alvarado added 13.
Madrid said both seniors made an immediate impression after joining the varsity program as freshmen and continued to contribute throughout their careers.
“Hiram and Axel have been big players since the moment they stepped into our program,” Madrid said. “They both played a little bit of varsity as freshmen, so we identified them early and saw they had the quality to compete at the top level and they have done that all the way through.”
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.
