By Moses Leos III
A pair of second half goals Friday gave the Lehman Lobos a 2-0 win in the first leg of their rivalry series with the Hays Rebels.
The win was critical for Lehman junior forward Diego Garcia, as it halts the Lobos’ two game losing streak to their crosstown rivals.
“Honestly, we wanted it. They beat us both times last year. We didn’t want that to happen again,” Garcia said. “We came out stronger than they did.”
Maintaining possession and off-the-ball movement was the focus for Lehman head coach Brad Baker. It was magnified as several starters sat out the first half due to policy issues.
Baker turned to his bench to help keep the Rebel offense in check.
“The guys that came off the bench looked as good as [the starters] did,” Baker said. “It’s good to have that much competitiveness in the team.”
On the opposite end, Hays worked to combat Lehman’s methodical pace.
But as the Rebels initially had space to move the ball, Lehman often took away scoring chances.
In addition, relative inexperience also played a factor. Burnett said the Rebels were often too passive in the offensive end.
“Some of it comes down to who wants to pull the trigger,” Burnett said. “I’m not sure if it’s a nerves deal, or if we’re not quite seeing it yet.”
However, both teams drew to a 0-0 tie after 40 minutes.
Lehman got on the board off a set piece less than ten minutes into the second half.
Lobo midfielder David Torres redirected a free kick and into the wheelhouse of Garcia, who buried the shot for the game’s first goal.
The Lobos struck again several minutes later, as Omar Molina took advantage of a Hays defensive miscue.
For Baker, taking advantage of chances was the key.
“I told the guys, put yourselves in a good spot to capitalize on the other teams’ mistakes,” Baker said. “Diego was in a good spot and had some fancy footwork in the box. Omar was trailing and got the rebound.”
The Lobos host Del Valle on Friday before a bye week on Tuesday. Hays will host Austin High on Saturday, and plays at Westlake on Feb. 3.
