by MOSES LEOS III
In Tuesday night’s action, the Lady Rebel and Lady Lobo soccer teams resumed their trek through district play. Lehman hosted the La Grange Lady Leopards, where the Lady Lobos cruised to a 10-0 victory . The Lady Lobos scored six first half goals, including three by junior Max Soto, who broke the school record of 51 career goals scored; Soto increases her goal total to 54 in her three years at Lehman.
Hays traveled to Cedar Creek, where the Lady Rebels surpassed the Lady Eagles 4-0. Hays garnered goals from Mariah Gaitan, Kayla Humphries, Alexis Cowher and Mila Bustos, who has now scored a goal in each of the last three matches.
Both Lehman and Hays remain tied for second place in District 27-4A with identical 6-1-2 records.
To say that anticipation would be high in the second leg of the Hays and Lehman girls soccer rivalry series would have been an understatement.
In the first match between the two schools, Hays and Lehman fought a tough, back and forth match, which ended in a 1-1 tie. On Friday, both teams were eager to settle the score, both hoping to defeat their bitter rival, garner the bragging rights for the remainder of the season, and obtain sole possession of second place in District 49-4A.
But much like the first contest on Jan. 30, Hays and Lehman equally traded chances and momentum swings, but to no avail. Once again, 80 minutes could not settle the rivalry, as the Lady Rebs and Lady Lobos ended in another 1-1 tie on a frigid evening in Shelton Stadium.
Hays would earn the upper hand in the first half, as the Lady Rebs’ consistent pressure in the middle third of the field gave them control of the pitch. The Lobos attempted to fight beyond the Hays attack, but the Lady Rebels’ midfielders stymied any advance
Lehman could generate.
“We had a strong effort from our defense, which kept feeding the offense the ball, allowing (the forwards) to make deep runs downfield,” said sophomore center-forward Mila Bustos. “Our defense played amazing, especially for not having all of our players on the field. They stepped up to the task.”
The pressure Hays put forth would finally pay off. With 16 minutes remaining in the first half, the Lady Rebel defense would force a turnover deep in the Lehman zone. Hays’ Jessica Cruz took the ball down the right flank, crossing the ball into the penalty box for Bustos, who slipped a point-blank shot into the net to give Hays a 1-0 advantage.
“The goal truly was a team effort. It started from the defense, progressing to the midfield. It was a great cross from Jess to the back post. At that point, I needed to stay calm and just get it done for my team,” Bustos said.
Hays would concoct a few more chances late in the half, having two shots ricochet off of the woodwork, but the game would remain 1-0 at halftime.
At the half, the Lady Lobos understood that a change in team mentality was needed.
“We had a speech where we talked about doing more as a team – that we needed to play with more intensity, to be ourselves. We kept telling ourselves that this was a new half,” said Lehman center back Madison Blok
Lehman would live up to their own expectations, as the Lady Lobos emerged in the second half with a renewed vigor. The offense played much more efficiently, moving at a faster rate, battling and winning possession with regularity. On defense, Lehman would force Hays to take lengthy shots, nixing any easy passes for Hays to score on from inside the penalty box.
“(On offense), we were trying to do our best as a team to move forward, to get through their defense. We were able to keep our passes on the ground and take more shots,” Blok said.
Lehman took the fight to the Lady Rebel defense, forcing Hays to increase their intensity to keep pace. As a result, the Lady Lobos drew numerous fouls in the second half, setting up scoring possibilities.
Around the 31-minute mark, the Lady Lobos got their perfect chance. Following a foul on Shayla Seeger-Avona, the Lady Lobos earned a free kick 20 yards away from the goal. Lehman turned to Blok, who had nearly connected on two free kicks earlier in the contest.
The third time wound up being the charm. Blok did her best “Bend It Like Beckham” impression, arcing a magnificent free kick into the top right corner of the goal. The Hays goalkeeper had no chance to make the save.
“I just tried to compose myself and do the best that I could. I was determined that I was not going to mess that kick up, that’s for sure. There was too much on the line,” said Blok, whose goal not only tied the score at 1-1, but gave the Lady Lobos a renewed sense of confidence.
From that point on, each squad would press forward, making deep runs into the opposition’s zone, only to come away empty handed. The final five minutes featured a flurry of scoring chances from Hays and Lehman, with a lot of physical play. But as the final buzzer sounded, no victor was decided.
“This is what rivalry games bring out,” said Lady Lobo head coach Nauri Garcia, “We got outplayed in the first half, but recovered nicely in the second. We showed some signs of good play, but we fell out of our attack, as Hays threw us off. You have to give it up to Hays, they have great team speed, and have for years. However, I think if we find synchronicity, we will be alright.”
For Lady Rebel head coach Brent Holcomb, he felt that Hays may have let a big win slip away.
“We are a little disappointed. We were able to get quite a few good shots off tonight, but not many went in. We felt that we had the upper hand,” said Holcomb. “I’m proud of how we played, that we controlled a fast Lehman offense. The only goal we gave up was on a good set piece. That’s the way soccer goes.”
With the tie, both teams are now deadlocked for the second spot in 49-4A. Both Hays and Lehman sport identical 5-1-2 records in district, trailing only Bastrop for the district lead.
Despite the lack of bragging rights, Blok summed it up for both teams. “I’ll take a tie over a loss any day. Tying is not fun, but it is still better than losing.”
