Varsity Boys’ Soccer Conquers Panthers 1-0

Christiano Araujo, Photographer| February 17, 2018

  • Caden Popps ’18 defends the ball from a Panther player.

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  • Philip Richardson ’20 looks for an opening to steal the ball from an opposing player.

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  • Sam Helwig ’19 rushes in to gain possession of the ball.

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  • Evan Moreno ’18 switches with Hilton Pineda ’18 during the first half.

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  • West Bevins ’20 watches fellow teammates closely before going into the game.

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  • Oliver Harris ’18 fights to prevent a Pflugerville player from getting the ball.

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  • Felipe Centeno ’19 attempts to breakthrough two opposing players to get to the ball.

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  • Coach Duhon informs the team what to look for before the start of the second half.

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On the evening of Friday, Feb. 16 the varsity boys’ soccer team fought against the Pflugerville Panthers with hopes of taking home another win as a first-place team in district play, ending the game with a score of 1-0 over the Panthers. While the team fought hard it became a tense battleground between the two rivals that ultimately favored the Warriors’ side.

“We played really well, especially because I scored but it was a great effort by the team,” Lalo Rodriguez ‘19 said.

As numerous passes were made by Evan Moreno ‘18 to Nikola Djordjevic ‘21 and Avi Kacker ‘19, with the help of Felipe Centeno ‘19 who attempted to make a goal, the Warriors prevented the Panthers from scoring throughout the first half of the game. With the first half ending, the Warriors performed many defense strategies that added to the motivation the team needed to carry on, as there were several attempted passes made by Caden Popps ‘18 and Djordjevic with blocks by Kacker. Both sides still struggled to gain a point within the first half of the game ending with a tie 0-0 score.

Into the second half of the game, the Warriors showed progression towards the Panthers as Cade Freehill ‘18 came close to making a goal with only inches from it, the play was no good as the Panthers goalie blocked it at the last moment, preventing a point for the Warriors. With the second half coming to an end, a much needed turnaround was made by Rodriguez’s successful free kick that gave the Warriors a one point advantage over the Panthers, bringing the game to a 1-0 score with only 22:04 left in the second half, eventually becoming the only goal made by the Warriors. This gave the Warriors another district win of the season.

“Both teams were going at it pretty hard but I think we had one of the best games of the season and thankfully it went in our favor with a 1-0 turnover,” Rodriguez said.

Catch the boys at Cedar Ridge High School on Tuesday Feb. 20 at 7:45 p.m. when they face off in their fifth district game against the Cedar Ridge Raiders. Go Wood.