by MOSES LEOS III
Even before their third round playoff game began, Lobos head coach Jay Sansom and his team understood one simple fact: An intense 80 minutes of action were necessary to keep their dream of a state championship alive. Pflugerville Connally, the Lobos’ opponent in Friday evening’s match, was a team that demanded full intensity.
Pflugerville Connally had upset favorite Cedar Park in a penalty kick shootout just a few days prior to Friday’s match, so the Lehman High boys soccer team knew what it was up against. And, Lehman knew one more thing – this was not the same Connally team they dominated in last year’s playoffs.
For the better part of 74 minutes, Lehman managed to keep up with Connally’s powerful pressure attack. However, one fantastic move by Connally forward JM Blay-Tofey was all the Cougars needed to sink the Lobos’ hopes. Tofey’s go-ahead goal with six minutes left in the match proved to be the decisive moment, as Connally defeated Lehman 1-0, ending the Lobos’ season in heartbreaking fashion.
From the onset, Lehman and Connally were locked in a back-and-forth, up-and-down match. Connally’s offense earned the first few scoring opportunities, lobbing numerous salvos downfield. Yet, the back line of Lehman’s defense was savvy enough to thwart the chances, keeping the ball out of the net.
On the opposite side, Lehman’s tandem duo of forwards, Diego Garcia and Eli Guajardo, provided moments of excitement for the raucous crowd of Lehman supporters. Their utilization of deft movements and fancy footwork allowed a few open runs. However, the Connally defense equally proved to be a tough egg to crack. Despite the strengths of Garcia, Guajardo and the Lobos offense, the Cougars defense shut them down, negating the passing lanes and quashing momentum. “In the first half, we tried going up the middle, but it did not work,” Sansom said. “That’s been our downfall this year.”
Not helping matters for the Lobos was the team’s struggle to maintain possession in the scoring third. Often, the Lobos were one touch off, or passed the ball just a little too long, allowing Connally’s defense to re-adjust and take away momentum from the Lobos. At the half, both teams compiled numerous miles run, but neither had a goal to show.
In the second half, Connally’s offense started out on a roll, increasing the pressure on the Lobos’ back line. At the 35-minute mark, Connally obtained a golden opportunity, nearly scoring the game’s opening goal. However, heady goalkeeping from Mike Torres kept the game scoreless, as he dove to make a vitally important save. Connally continued to threaten, but the Lobos met the Cougars’ pressure, and clogged their passing lanes.
“It was a team effort to keep (Connally) locked down,” said defenseman and captain Chris Piedra, describing how Lehman tried to keep Connally’s offense at bay. “We needed everybody to keep marking their man. The team did their best to keep pressure and to mark.”
Lehman’s play on defense proved to be an asset, as their defense allowed for counter-attacks on the offensive end. “We threw an extra man up top,” Piedra said, describing how the Lobos initiated their counter-offensive. “Our job (as a defense) was to pass him the ball, to keep him running. That gave us a better opportunity to score.”
The Lobos’ offense tactically changed as well, as the team tried to outflank the Cougars with their speed and agility. “At halftime, our coaches told us to play the ball out wide,” Guajardo said. “We noticed that their outside backs were weak; that’s where we tried to attack.”
Connally struggled to contain the Lobos on that front, as Lehman’s offense began to take form mid-way through the second half. Team speed, along with precise passing and control in the midfield, allowed Lehman to earn scoring chances.
“We went to the outside and found some success,” said Sansom. “It gave us a lot of opportunities on the left side towards the end of the game.” Lehman’s best chance to take the lead occurred at the 24- and 17-minute marks, as forward movement allowed the Lobos to have the ball right in front of the net. Unfortunately, both instances saw the Connally defense collapse on the ball, blocking every shot attempt, with the Lobos coming up empty both times. “They had everybody in the back, to protect the net,” said Guajardo, who took multiple shots with 17 minutes to go in the game. “Sometimes that happens. That’s soccer.”
As time ticked away, both teams became desperate to score that golden goal. The latter moments of the contest saw tough play from both sides, as the squads pushed and shoved each other to gain better positioning, as well as possession.
Yet, Connally found a way to successfully string together runs in the final 15 minutes. After missing on a few close calls, the Cougars offense broke through with six minutes to go in the game. With fleet passing and quick reflexes, Blay-Tofey wound his way to the front of the net, taking the ball and shooting it beyond Torres’ outstretched hands.
“Coach (Ramez Antoun) said that (Connally) had two of the best forwards in the state this year,” said Sansom, characterizing how much respect Connally’s forwards were given on the night. “They scored a goal on the back sideline. We just came out unlucky as far as that goes. That’s the nature of the sport.”
Lehman mounted one final effort to equalize the score. The pace was frantic, as the Lobos desperately tried to concoct a game-tying goal. However, it was not to be. Unlike the Reagan game in the Rebel Cup at the start of the season, the Lobos could not find magic late. Their historic run had come to an end.
Despite the disappointment, the Lobos held their heads high as they thanked the fans that made the 30 minute journey northward. While tears were shed, the team understood just how important their run was to Lehman High. For the first time in school history, a team from Lehman won a district championship. They, the Lobos boys’ soccer team, will forever hold that distinction.
“Every game, everyone was pumped. No matter the situation, no matter the opponent, we were ready to play every game,” Piedra said. “Nobody got their head down. Never did we doubt each other. It was a team effort, from the players, all the way to the coaches, who pushed us hard during morning practices. It was all to make us better.”
For Sansom, Friday evening brought an end to a remarkable season. As he and his coaches reminisced on their history making season, they now focus on next year.
“We did a good job this season,” said Sansom, pensive on the season that was. “We will learn from this loss – to take that little bit of bitterness into next year and see what we can build on. If we learn from that lesson, we’ve improved. If we don’t, then we go back a step. In athletics, you see people bounce back from a loss like this. Tonight, we will have to regroup, think about what we could have done differently or changed up, and look forward to next year.”
Lehman completes the 2013 campaign with the best record in program history, finishing the season with a 19-2-1 overall record, 11-1 in district play. The team’s finish in the Sectional round is the deepest playoff run in program history, with the Lobos claiming the first team district championship in the history of the school.
