The Page Middle School soccer team are the NAIC champions after last Friday’s 6 to 1 win over Tuba City Boarding School. This is the second year in a row the middle school soccer team won the NAIC championship.

After Friday night’s victory, the Dust Devils finished 8-0 for the season. Tuba City’s goal against the Dust Devils on Friday was the only goal the Dust Devils have allowed all year. 

The Dust Devils soccer team is coached by Kimberly Codner. It is her second year as the middle school soccer team’s head coach. She was also the high school girls soccer team’s assistant coach the year before that. Prior to moving to the U.S., Codner coached soccer for two years in Jamaica.

Revington Babu served as the Dust Devils assistant coach this year.

Zachary Smith scored three goals in Friday’s game, and Styles Christiansen scored three goals. Both players are Dust Devils forwards.

As great as the Dust Devils offense is, Codner also gives her team’s defense a great deal of credit too.

“Our defense is amazing!” she said. “The kids who are on defense can see the game and read the action. They know where they need to be to defend, and they do a great job communicating with each other. That’s the key. They’re very good at knowing when to fall back and when to push forward.”

The Dust Devils defense is led by Kaia Mansker, Codner said.

“She does an amazing, amazing job,” she said. “She keeps the defensive line together, and the entire team together too. The team respects her so much. She’s a proven and strong leader.”

Although Mansker is primarily a defensive player, she still scored two goals this season. 

The team’s goalie, Noah Nelson, also scored a goal this year off a penalty kick, something the coaches elected to do to show Nelson how much they appreciate his great work at goalie.

“Star Yazzie, Ashely Tucker and Kaisya Akee also had amazing seasons,” Codner said. “They are the most improved players. Abigail Goldtooth did an exceptional job on the wing, and her enthusiasm was contagious. We look forward to seeing her playing on the women’s national team in the near future as that is her goal.”

Perhaps one of the season’s happy surprises came from the successes of one of its youngest and smallest players. Meyson Perry is only a sixth grader, but he started every game and played nearly every minute of every game.

“He seemed kind of shy at the beginning of the season, but as the season progressed he became such a great midfielder,” Codner said. “He’s our smallest player, but his presence on the field is big.”

Codner was proud of her entire team.

“The middle school soccer team is a very respectful group of students,” she said, “and they’re as committed to academics as they are to soccer.” 

“Our goal this year was to make sure was that the grades they started with didn’t drop during the season,” Codner said, “and they did it. They proved themselves in so many ways this year.”

Members of the Dust Devils soccer team are Kaia Mansker, Zachary Smith, Noah Nelson, Abigail Goaldtooth, Tucker Christiansen, Max Martin, Meyson Perry, Peyton Miller, Kasiya Akee, Nolan Talbot, Christyna Byrom, Star Yazzi, Ashley Tucker, Brooklyn Neal-Meyers, Maggie Anderson, Taylor Haskie, Declan Sink, Grant Parsons, Violet Kerr, Cole Mauger, Kyla Benally, Kylie Curley, Noah Hosteenez, Marcus Szabo, Emma Pliler, Micah Nelson, Kloe Lester, Pixie Inzunza and Fabian Jimenez, with Bryce Griswold as the team manager.