The Miners boy’s soccer team ended last season playing their best soccer.
Park City took down Mountain Crest in the playoffs, before falling to Orem, giving them all they could handle.
The Miners returned to informal practice in October.
Park City will begin their season Wednesday, taking on Ridgeline on the road at 6 p.m.
The Miners are hopeful they can pick up where last year’s team left off and improve upon their results.
“We’ve been going for a few months now and have been thinking about this week for about nine months,” said Park City Head Coach Anthony DiCicco.
DiCicco scheduled a tough non-regional schedule, also including defending 4A state champ Crimson Cliffs and rival Wasatch. Against Ridgeline and Crimson Cliffs, the Miners will try out various lineups and tactical approaches, yet they’re gunning for upsets.
DiCicco is also focused on getting everyone playing together and up to his desired fitness levels after the offseason, where most played club soccer.
Park City is returning 11 players from the 2025 team this spring.
“For as long as I’ve been with the boys, the region has been competitive,” DiCicco said. “This year, we lost and added four teams into the region. So, there are a lot of unknowns for me about some of the teams that we will face during the course of the season, which is exciting.”
DiCicco tabbed Quinn Kelly, Zebby Crosland, Max Schenider and Logan Cadman as players to watch for the Miners this spring.
DiCicco also believes the players coming up from the lower ranks of the Park City program made the most of their time around the varsity team in seasons past and understand the standard they’ll be expected to play to this season. DiCicco described the newcoming bunch as “hungry.”
“I want the guys to be excited every day to step on the field together,” DiCicco said. “For us, them walking away knowing that they have tried their best, developed lifelong relationships and bonds through the experience, mentored the younger players and developed character traits and leadership qualities that they will carry with them into college and beyond are more important than the win-loss record.”
DiCicco said his players and staff are as competitive as any and will try to end this season as the one team winning.
DiCicco said the Miners take much pride in representing Park City and soccer within the community.
The Miners will be playing their home games this season at the fields at Quinn’s Junction, given Dozier Field is under construction. They will play on the Quinn’s Junction grass fields, which they believe offer better dimensions than Dozier Field for the style of attacking soccer they like to play. Barring unforeseen snowfall or weather conditions, Park City will play their home opener against Crimson Cliffs next Tuesday at 4 p.m.
“One of the things that we’re talking about in terms of the qualities that we want to have as a team and a program is adaptability,” DiCicco said. “It’s a little bit different than what we’re used to in the spring. … We’re excited to have that opportunity to open games up a little bit and try and stretch the fences.”