Madaline Angel and Anette Galaviz, both 2017 Discovery Canyon High School graduates, capped their college soccer careers with all-conference honors.

The College of Saint Mary (Omaha, Nebraska) student-athletes both were named to the Great Plains Athletic Conference honorable mention team. Saint Mary is an NAIA Division I school.

Both seniors started 10 of the Flames’ 12 games this season. Angel was a defender, while Galaviz was a center midfielder. They were also four-year starters and both will graduate next May, each with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.

“This season was a lot different, especially at the beginning,” Angel said. “We started preseason later than normal and we ended up not playing any non-conference games.”

Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic were the main reasons for the odd season. Players and coaches were constantly having their temperatures checked before practices, games and rare team-bonding events. They were required to wear masks on the sidelines, but not in games.

Angel and Galaviz each ended up missing two games because they had to be quarantined when it was discovered teammates tested positive.

“It was hard to sit out and watch my team play without me,” said Galaviz, who was also all-conference as a freshman. “It was a struggle this season for all of us, but we made it. We shed a lot of tears together. This was one for the books.”

Galaviz scored five goals this season, including two in a 5-0 victory over Presentation College on Senior Day. “That was a nice,” Galaviz said with a smile.

Angel was named all-conference all four years at Saint Mary. She scored her lone career goal as a junior, an overtime game-winner against Briar Cliff University. It was the only goal of the match. She was named the conference defensive player of the week for efforts in that game, and was later named the school’s defensive player of the year.

Angel and Galaviz were four-year starters for the Thunder. As sophomores, they helped Discovery Canyon reach the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state playoffs.

The Thunder also qualified for the state playoffs in the girls’ freshmen and senior seasons.

“College soccer was a lot more intense than high school,” Angel said. “It was scary at first, but I felt like I fit in almost immediately. I really enjoyed the competition.”

Angel and Galaviz will graduate as registered nurses.