By Tom Behrens
Cinco Ranch – Fort Bend Austin, Langham Creek, and Ridge Point:
The District 19-6A champion Cinco Ranch Lady Cougars defeated Fort Bend Austin, Langham Creek, and Ridge Point. Kendall Hollo highlighted the Ridge Point victory with two goals. Mckenzie Chew, Ali Russell, Olivia Futch, Shaylee Anaya, Alexa Zarvos and Abby Mcclain, contributed both offensively and defensively for the Lady Cougars in their climb up the playoff ladder. The Cougars next opponent: Atascocita in the Regional Semifinals.
Cinco Ranch – Atascocita
The Cougars came up against a very good Atascocita team (22-2-2, 12-1-1) finally preserving a 1-0 victory. Shaylee Anaya finished a corner in the 38th minute for the game’s lone goal. Atascocita only managed three shots on goal and one corner. Next up is the matchup everybody was looking forward to – Cinco Ranch versus Tompkins for the Regional championship.
This year will make six straight years for the Lady Cougars to be in the regional tournament, the fifth straight year in the Regional Final – all the while facing another KISD school.
Cinco Ranch – Tompkins showdown
Freshman Veruzla Gomez, in her first varsity start, supplied Tompkins’ first goal in the Class 6-A Region III girls’ soccer finals. Skyler Parker sealed the Falcons’ first victory over the Cougars when she scored off a Joannie Ramos corner kick for a 2-0 advantage in the 65th minute. The Tompkins Lady Falcons defeated Cinco Ranch 2-0.
The Falcons didn’t allow a goal in the regional tournament. They posted three shutouts in the march to the state and six in district.
Forward Barbara Olivieri, the teams’ leading scorer, paced the Falcons offensive attack with 17 goals and is second with nine assists. Joannie Ramos had 14 goals and eight assists; Kayla Ruopp had 12 goals and Leanne Veary had 10.
Senior goalkeeper Cailey Croson gave up only .91 goals per game.
Tompkins Lady Falcons vs. Austin Vandegrift (19-1-4) in the semifinals
With the game tied at 1-1, Tompkins scored again and added another goal for good measure to defeat Leander Vandegrift 3-1 at Birkelbach Field. The Lady Falcons next faced Pflugerville Hendrickson for the 6A State Championship. The Hawks (18-4-4) went to overtime against Keller to make it to the top game.
The Falcons are loaded with talent; it could be their time.
The Pflugerville Hendrickson Hawks get the better of Tompkins
Hendrickson defeated Tompkins, 2-0, in the Class 6A state championship game Saturday at Birkelbach Field.
Behind a strong defense and freshman goalkeeper MaKenna Garcia, MVP of the game, the Hawks (19-4-4) shut out Keller, which hadn’t scored less than two goals since January, and Tompkins, which outscored its first six playoff opponents 20-4.
Tompkins ends the year at 19-5-3. “Second place is not what we wanted but I’m super proud of every single one of them,” said Tompkins Coach Jarrett Shipman in an after game interview. “We have an expectation to be back here next year.”
Kayla Geren put Hendrickson up in the 31st minute, taking a Jayme Woodfill cross and ripping a shot that Tompkins goalkeeper Cailey Croson got a hand on before the ball bounced off the crossbar and into the goal.
Kensley Martin added an unassisted goal in the second half. Hendrickson outshot the Falcons 22-12, which included a 14-4 advantage in the first 40 minutes.