Varsity boys soccer goes four rounds deep in playoffs

Last year, the varsity boys soccer team made their first-ever playoff appearance and even though they had a good run, it wasn’t enough to get them past first-round opponent Reagan, who beat them 2-0.

“It was horrible,” senior Alex Pena said. “But at the same time it kinda motivated me to try harder next year.”

But this year’s playoff experience was quite better and longer. Non-district matches prepped the Raiders for a strong district season as the team found their rhythm, breezing past district foes Leander, Vista Ridge, Cedar Park and Vandegrift.

When the regular season came to an end the team led the pack with a district record of 6-1-3 and their first district title in school history. The team’s only loss was to Marble Falls and they wrapped up district with a 3-3 tie to the Mustangs. The game started with three goals that put the Mustangs in a big hole, but after a huge momentum swing in the second half, Marble Falls were able to tie the game up 3-3 which ended up being the final score.

With district behind them and a district championship under the belt, the Raiders faced Reagan in the first round of playoffs March 24, the same team that sent them home last year.

“We went into playoffs with confidence,” senior Daniel Rocha said. “Knowing we were playing Reagan we wanted revenge.”

The home match was a defensive struggle with only one goal being scored, by senior Devin Tharp, giving them the bi-district championship and another 80 minutes on the field.

“That win was a big step forward,” Tharp said. “It gave us a lot of momentum going into playoffs.”

In the area round March 27 they traveled to Connally, a team that managed to put up a fight throughout the first half of the game with a 1-1 score. But the game was saved in the second half, when Tharp helped take the lead with a game winning goal.

“It was a pretty good game it was very challenging,” Pena said. “It gave us a taste on what the rest of the games were going to be like.”

Now in the third round of playoffs April 3, the guys faced Marble Falls at their home field, the only team in district the boys failed to beat this year. Marble was also coming off big playoff wins against McCallum and Elgin in the first two rounds.

The first half ended with Marble in the lead 1-0, the game was later tied up 1-1 when junior Logan Zipkes scored a goal that revived his team and got them back in to the game. When the first two halves were over, the score remained notched up at 1-1. After a 30-minute lighting delay, the game finally ended when the Raiders scored the game winning goal in double overtime.

Only one win away from the regional tournament, the guys faced Schertz Clemens, April 7. Clemens would end up winning the match 1-0, eliminating the Raiders from the playoffs. Even though the team didn’t go all the way, the team had a strong run, finishing 14-5-3 overall and advancing to the fourth round of playoffs.

“We played great,” freshman Noah Corder said. “Although it wasn’t in our favor, it was a good experience for us.”