Clovis North Girls’ Soccer Wins Sixth Straight over Clovis High

Clovis North senior Mia Mirelez (#6, black) keeps the ball away from Clovis senior Isabella Aguirre in the Broncos’ 3-1 win on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. (Photo Gabriel Camarillo)

Mia Mirelez is easy to spot on the field at a Clovis North girls’ soccer game.

The 5-foot-7 senior is the engine that makes the Broncos’ offensive attack go, and she put her talents on full display Tuesday afternoon with two goals in a 3-1 win over Clovis High.

With the victory, Clovis North (13-1, 3-0 TRAC) extended its winning streak to six games. Head coach Nick Pappanduros said the Broncos are young, but seniors like Mirelez keep the team aggressive and scoring.

“Mia is our worker,” Pappanduros said. “She’s coming back from an ACL injury, and she’s a force to be reckoned with. She has something to prove because she hasn’t been out here, and she’s proving it.”

Mirelez is part of a senior group that includes UC Irvine signee Alyssa Wheeler and UNLV signees Cadence Whitley and Mallie Ramirez. Mirelez signed to play soccer at Cal State Fullerton.

“Those four seniors are our forwards and our attacking middle, and what they do with the ball, it looks like they’ve been playing together forever,” Pappanduros said.

In the 27th minute, Whitley crossed the ball into the middle that junior Ari Worrell cleaned up for the Broncos’ first goal. Clovis High responded a minute later with a goal from senior Kellyann Rodriguez.

Before the first half ended, Mirelez scored her first goal off the assist from sophomore Kaylin Wheeler to give the Broncos a 2-1 lead.

In the 55th minute, Mirelez scored her second goal on a strong finish after receiving a cross from senior Paige Smith.

Clovis High (6-5-3, 1-2 TRAC) dropped its second straight contest; the Cougars fell to Buchanan last Friday, 5-0. Head coach Ian Lynch said costly defensive miscues have been the biggest issue of late.

“We’ve got to get healthy, and we have to get it right,” Lynch said. “There’s a lot of mental errors that are putting us behind the 8-ball. We compete for long periods of the game, but it’s backbreaking mistakes that put us under and we struggle because of it.”

Up next for Clovis High is a home match against Clovis East on Friday, the same day Clovis North hosts Central. But eyes are already on next Tuesday when Clovis North travels to Buchanan in a rematch of last year’s Central Section Division-I championship game.

Are Clovis North and Buchanan destined to meet again in this year’s title game?

“I think so,” Pappanduros said. “We’re always the rivals when it comes to soccer. They always give us the biggest fight. I think it’s headed that way.”

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Gabriel Camarillo has written for the Clovis Roundup since August 2019 and follows high school athletics, Fresno State football and former Clovis Unified student-athletes. Gabe also writes for The Collegian as a staff sports writer and works at One Putt Broadcasting as a board op for 940 ESPN radio.