By Moses Leos III

It was a tale of two halves for the Lehman Lobo soccer team Tuesday in its district opener against the Bowie Bulldogs at Lobo Field.  

But a pair of Bowie goals scored in the first 20-plus minutes proved too large a hill for Lehman to mount as the Lobos fell 2-0. 

The Bulldogs held much of the momentum in the early going. An effective Bowie midfield helped the Bulldogs maintain possession in their end of the field for most of the first 40 minutes. 

Lehman head coach Brad Baker said a solid Bowie defense limited Lehman’s ability to move the ball forward. Lehman struggled to get its offense into the scoring third in the first half. 

Attempting to pass the ball through the air against Bowie’s taller back line also posed problems. The inability to combine on the ground also was an issue. 

“Anytime we touched the ball today, they were on us immediately,” Baker said. “We changed that in the second half and caused them to struggle.” 

Bowie took advantage when they scored off of a set piece with 25:27 left in the first half. The Bulldogs tallied a second score roughly six minutes later to take a commanding 2-0 lead into halftime. 

Lehman returned with an aggressive response in the second half. 

Led by their forwards, the Lobos were able to turn the tables on Bowie and dominate possession. 

Baker said changing up his defensive structure helped facilitate the improvement on offense. 

He accomplished that by defending the ball higher up the field. That in turn allowed the defense to quickly transition the ball back into the offensive end. 

“Defending higher lets us attack faster,” Baker said. “As we turn the ball over, we’re on their half [of the field] defending. When we get the ball back, we have more guys to play forward.” 

Lehman’s aggressive style led to several chances at the goal in the second half. Two chances came within the final 14 minutes of the game. That included a near-miss in front of the net on a corner kick. 

But the Lobos were unable to find the back of the net as Bowie staved off Lehman’s attack.

For Baker, who returns only five starters from a year ago, working to improve his relatively small team during their first five games has been important. 

He said he made it “very clear” earlier this year he sought the “best 18 and the most dedicated 18” players. 

“The kids have a hard time buying into that,” Baker said. “They are seeing the repercussions of not buying in.” 

But Baker said he continues to search for a vocal leader for his group. He said the Lobos lack the vocal leadership, but has an influx of players who lead by example. 

“There are a couple of guys in the back that are influential by their actions, and not their words,” Baker said. 

And while the Lobo defense has been stout in the first five games – Lehman has given up only four goals – their offense has been “spotty” according to Baker. 

But he said the Lobos haven’t been able to acquire that “lucky bounce,” either. 

“There’s at least one (lucky bounce) that changes the game,” Baker said. “We’ve yet to be on the good end of that lucky bounce.” 

A strong finish at the Rebel Cup allowed for growth for the Lobos. 

“As we move forward and the kids buy into the system, we’re going to be a lot more successful,” Baker said. 

Lehman plays at Akins High on Tuesday, then plays Hays on Jan. 22 at Lobo Field at 7:30 p.m.