SCHERTZ — After a 4-1 win for Wimberley High School in a 4A Region IV Area playoff game Tuesday, March 25, over Pleasanton High School (13-7-2), the Lady Texans head soccer coach Eric Nichols told his team they had more than 100 shots on goal in their last two games: “That’s insane and you know it’s not the way we can play. We’ve got to do better to go further and we’ve got to put these shots in the back of the net.”
The Lady Texans (22-1-2 overall) did just that when they traveled to Yoakum Friday, March 29, to face Rockport Fulton High School (16-8-1 overall) in the regional semifinals and won 9-0 on a Mercy Rule adopted for 2024-25 per UIL soccer rules: “After 20-minutes of play (elapsed game time) or beyond in the second half, if one team has a goal differential of eight goals or more, the game would be stopped and declared as final.” Addison Laney and Lilli Sandoval each had a hat-trick scoring three goals and Jordin Donaldson, Ella Sandoval and Haley Lopez each scored goals.
Lilli Sandoval leads the team with 38 goals scored and four teammates have scored in double digits: Watson with 18, Ella Sandoval 15, Lopez 14 and Emma Durkin 10.
“Our midfielders have a good connection with each other, which helps us pass the ball well and score goals,” Lilli Sandoval said. “Like the Durkin twins, Emma has seven and Abby has 10.”
Wimberley has scored 114 goals, while their goalkeeper duo of Sydney Laney and Chloe Row has allowed 11 goals on the season. The team consists of four sets of sisters; Sydney and Addison Laney, Kara and Cameron Thames, Ella and Lilli Sandoval and Emma and Abby Durkin.
Wimberley beat Corpus Christi London High School (23-4 overall) 4-0 in a regular season tournament. The Lady Texans will meet the Pirates again at press time Tuesday, April 1, in a 4A Region 4 Final playoff game. The winner will face the winner of the Region 3 final, either Lorena High School (17-4) or El Campo High School (23-3-1), for a chance to play in the 4A Division 2 semifinals April 3-5. The 4A Divion 2 UIL State Championship game is scheduled for 11 a.m. April 10 at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown.
