by JASON GORDON
The playoff train finally derailed for the Hays boys soccer team.
After two thrilling postseason victories, the Rebels fell in the regional quarterfinals 2-0 against Alamo Heights Tuesday night at Clemens High School.
Alamo Heights got on the board early as Mark Landon headed in a rebounded shot off a Taylor Lubinanski corner kick to give the Mules a 1-0 advantage less than eight minutes into the game.
From there, Alamo Heights put almost its entire team in defensive mode on the field, making it nearly impossible for the Rebels, who were playing without injured four-year varsity starter Joe Garcia, to get anything going on offense.
“We just couldn’t get into the game in the beginning,” Hays’ Hipolito Padron said. “I don’t know what happened. They just packed their defense in and we couldn’t get anything through.”
Hays head coach Jason Burnett agreed the key to the game was Alamo Heights’ defense, which allowed the Rebels only three shots on goal in both the first and second halves.
“We came out flat,” Burnett said. “We picked up our intensity and actually played them pretty even. They just managed to score off of two deflections.”
Hays’ only realistic shot to score after halftime came when Emmanuel Gonzalez nailed a shot from 20-yards out, but Alamo Heights keeper Enuymar Hernandez was in position to make a leaping save with 30 minutes left in the game.
Alamo Heights, which advances to the regional semifinals Friday in Corpus Christi, added an insurance goal with 27 minutes left in the game when a deep free kick bounced off goalkeeper Luke Adams’ gloves. Kenneth Hoffman was there to pop in the easy goal to make it 2-0.
Even with the loss, the Rebels tied the mark for the farthest a Hays boys soccer team has advanced in the playoffs in the program’s history. The Rebels beat LBJ in a shootout last Tuesday and Lake Travis Friday night to advance to the regional quarterfinals.
“We had a chance to make history, but these kids still accomplished something very few players ever to play soccer here have,” Burnett said. “That’s something you can’t take away from them.”
Friday night versus Lake Travis, the Rebs claimed a 2-1 victory over the Cavilers at Dripping Springs High School.
Against Lake Travis, the team that knocked Hays out of the playoffs last season, the Cavilers got on the board first, but the Rebels quickly answered at the 25-minute mark of the first half.
Robbie Clevenger sent a ball through the Lake Travis defense down the left side of the field that Parker Thornton ran onto from behind. Thornton then slammed the ball into the back of the net to tie the score 1-1.
“That was by far one of the best looking goals we’ve had all season,” Burnett said. “We couldn’t have drawn it up any better. They couldn’t have executed it any better if there was no one on the field defending them.”
Hays took a 2-1 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half when Cody Taylor boomed a free kick over the Lake Travis defense from 45-yards out. Keegan Fischer deflected the ball in from close range for the goal that proved to be the game winner.
The Rebels dropped an extra man back on defense for the final 25 minutes of the game to limit Lake Travis’ chances, and when the Cavs did get close to the net, Adams – the hero Tuesday night against LBJ – was there to thwart every second half shot.
