FROM STAFF REPORTS
Jared Heiselman gave the Rebels a 1-0 lead against Canyon Lake. The Hays boys soccer team bounced back in a big way last week following a three-game district losing streak, picking up wins over Canyon and Canyon Lake high schools. (Photo by Cyndy Slovak-Barton)
The Hays boys soccer team desperately needed to get back on the winning track.
After starting the season 3-0 in District 51-4A play, the Rebels had lost three straight and were in danger of falling out of one of the first four pivotal league spots they need to finish in to qualify for the playoffs.
Last week, Hays came out with a vengeance and swept games from Canyon and Canyon Lake high schools.
Against Canyon High, the game was scoreless until an Emanuel Hernandez goal just after halftime and some solid defense the rest of the way propelled the Rebels to a 1-0 victory.
“I told our guys that was a must-win game,” Hays head coach Jason Burnett said. “There’s no doubt we had to come away with a victory that night.”
After another scoreless first half against Canyon Lake High, Jared Herselman took a pass from Hernandez and hammered home a goal from 22-yards out to give the Rebels a 1-0 lead.
Minutes later, Hernandez floated a pass to Joe Garcia, and the senior rose up and headed it into the back of the net to give Hays its final margin of victory.
“That last goal was just Joe being Joe,” Burnett said. “He’s a great athlete. He just went up and found the ball and did what he does best.”
One game into the second round of district play, Hays (5-3 51-4A) is in third place, just ahead of Canyon and San Marcos and just behind Seguin. Undefeated and untied Dripping Springs is the runaway league leader at this point.
Burnett said he’s proud of the way his team responded to midseason adversity after going through its three-game losing streak.
“Every soccer team is going to hit a slump at some point of the season,” Burnett said. “It’s better it hit it in the middle of the season than at the end. We just went back to teaching some of the basics, and now we’re on our way back up.”
Garcia said Hays did what they had to do in practice to get back in the victory column.
“We were really motivated by that losing streak,” Garcia said. “It made us work a lot harder in practice. But we know we can’t stop here, we have to keep it going now that we’re winning again.”
The Rebels have a rematch with Lehman on Friday at Shelton Stadium. Hays beat the Lobos 5-1 earlier this season.
“They’ll definitely have revenge on their minds,” Garcia said. “It’s just going to come down to who wants it more.”
The boys varsity game Friday at Shelton Stadium is scheduled for 8 p.m. The Hays and Lehman girls will square off at Shelton Stadium Friday night beginning at 6 p.m.
