Hays’ Andres Gomez Jaimes, left, and Cooper Cawley participate in a three-way head butt with a Cavalier opponent.
Senior night wasn’t kind for the Hays boys soccer team (11-8-4) Tuesday as the Rebels were shut out 4-0 by the state-ranked Lake Travis Cavaliers (16-2-4) in their home finale at Shelton Stadium.
“Nobody wants to lose on their last home game night, but I think they gave it their all and they tried really hard,” Rebels head coach Cole Reynolds said. “I’m really proud of those guys, they’ve been doing that for me all year.”
Missed opportunities plagued the Rebels at the start of both halves as they missed multiple point-blank shots in front of the goal. Hays’ offensive attack was in rhythm for the opening of the first half but got into a rut after two missed shots within six yards from the goal. Lake Travis then went on a run of its own to take a 2-0 lead by halftime.
“Our first ten to fifteen minutes we were connecting passes well, but they scored on us and we kinda went head down and started playing flat,” Reynolds said. “We had six to seven good opportunities, but just couldn’t put it in the net tonight.”
The second half was nearly identical to the first as the Rebels struggled to produce after missing potential game-changing shots. Instead, the Cavaliers added two more goals to the scoreboard, creating an insurmountable lead.
“We were right there, just weren’t able to convert the points tonight,” Reynolds said. “Not only does it affect the scoreline, but it affects the players with their outlook and their attitude. We’ve done pretty well coming back from that kind of thing this season, we weren’t able to put that together tonight.”
Lake Travis’ elite offensive attack out-produced the Rebels in shots 24-11, including a 16-5 advantage with shots on goal. Cavalier seniors Ben Arney and Emilio Aguilar highlighted two of the four goals on the night.
“We were able to hold them out a little better the last round, but they made their way through tonight.” Reynolds said about the Cavaliers’ offensive attack.
Nine seniors played their final home game of their Rebels careers including captains Lane Reynolds and Gerardo Rodriguez. Other seniors honored were Adrian Rodriguez, John Murillo, Anthony Hellen, William Turner, Jesus Campos, Jayden Hipolito and Thomas Fisher.
Hays’ final game of the season will be at Del Valle at 7:45 p.m. this Friday.
