By Terry Carter
For 73 minutes, playoff qualifier Jordan and postseason hopeful College Station battled in a cold, scoreless soccer duel in District 19-5A play.
Then the host Lady Warriors (13-6-1, 12-2-1) started scoring with 6:51 remaining in the match when Jordan’s dangerous scoring duo of Peri Olmo and freshman forward Maddie Thompson teamed up. Thompson scored on a short shot, and Olmo contributed a crisp pass to the near post for an assist to give Jordan a 1-0 lead late in the second half.
In most matches, that would have been enough.
The goal could have stolen the momentum from lesser teams, but Jordan plays in District 19-5A, where Magnolia (12-1-1), Jordan and A&M Consolidated (11-3) have already clinched postseason spots. College Station (10-9, 9-5) and Paetow (8-7) are battling for the final spot. College Park plays at Paetow on Friday night in a key matchup.
Despite cold, windy conditions, College Park’s Lady Cougars countered immediately and scored within 44 seconds to tie the game at 1-1 with 6:07 remaining. According to Jordan head girls’ soccer coach Rennie Rebe, teams are most often scored upon within five minutes after they score a goal.
Rebe said what happened next represents a lesson for the Jordan underclassmen, a talented team playing its varsity season with mostly freshmen and sophomores and four juniors. The lesson is simple: Never ease up on scoring or defense because your better opponents will take advantage of it.
And with 2:45 remaining on Tuesday, College Station connected on a crossing pass that left Lady Warrior goalkeeper Maddie Mech 1-on-1 with a far post shooter only 20 feet away. The College Station goal was the decider in this contest, which leaves the Lady Cougars with a strong grip on the final playoff berth. But it’s not over yet.
The district race does not technically finish until March 21 when Jordan hosts Rudder, and Magnolia West plays at College Station. And once the teams are decided, the postseason begins where Tuesday’s lesson will be emphasized with each playoff match, over and over until one Region III-5A team advances to the state tournament.
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- Jordan sophomore midfielder Peri Olmo (11) snaps a pass in a crowd and in front of the College Station to a teammate for the Lady Warriors’ goal on Tuesday. College Station rallied for two late goals to win, 2-1. Photo by UDPhotos
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- Jordan players Perio Olmo (11) and Maddie Thompson (23) celebrate taking a 1-0 lead over College Station in a key District 19-5A soccer match on Tuesday. Photo by UDPhotos
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- Jordan girls’ soccer head coach Rennie Rebe (far right) directs her players to a spot for a talk after Tuesday’s defeat. The Lady Warriors have already clinched a playoff spot before this game, but they wanted to win each match. Photo by UDPhotos
