Lehman girls soccer players (l-r) Mariah Tamayo, Brenda Murillo and Shayla Seeger helped lead the Lady Lobos to a 2-0 start in District 49-4A with wins over defending league champ Bastrop and Lockhart last week. (photo by Judy Cooper)
By JASON GORDON
Lehman head girls soccer coach Nauri Garcia said before the district season started he wasn’t going to be satisfied with just competing for the fourth and final playoff spot this year.
If the first week-plus of District 49-4A action is any indication, the Lady Lobos are going to be in contention for the league title.
The Lehman girls knocked off defending district champion Bastrop 1-0 in its district opener.
Max Soto scored 19 minutes into the game and the Lady Lobos clamped down on defense after that. The goal was assisted by Valerie Murillo.
Bastrop had its chances throughout the match to score the equalizer, but the Lady Lobos turned them away each time.
“Bastrop had four corner kicks late in the game, which worried me because they are so good at them,” said Garcia. “But we were up to the task.”
Garcia singled out goalkeeper Evelyn Martinez, as well as defenders Brenda Murillo, Madison Blok and Mariah Tamayo as standout players against Bastrop.
“When I first saw the district schedule for this season, I was worried that our first district game was against Bastrop,” Garcia said. “It was obviously a big win. It’s still a little early to say anything. But we have eight shutouts and we’re working very hard as a team. The attitude and talent is there and I think we have a chance to get some more exciting things done this year.”
The Lady Lobos followed up the win against Bastrop with a 4-1 victory against Lockhart Friday keyed by two more Max Soto goals. One of the goals was a spectacular play in which Blok found Soto with a pass she headed into to the back of the net.
The Lady Lobos increased their lead when Haley Parsons found Shayla Seeger with a pass for a goal. Seegar rounded out the scoring by walking the ball around the Lady Lions’ goalkeeper with superb dribbling skills before slamming a final goal home for Lehman.
“Starting off the season defeating the defending district champs was a positive step forward in what we expect to be a great season for the Lady Lobos,” Parsons said. “We demonstrated that we can be a threat to our opponent from every position on the field.”
Lehman went on to beat Cedar Creek 5-0 Tuesday night on two goals by Max Soto, and one each by Seeger, Parsons and Cora Johnston to improve to 3-0 in District 49-4A action.
Lehman improved to 1o-2-1 overall this season with the three district victories.
