By Terry Carter,
District 19-6A further cemented its reputation as the elite league in Region III-6A as all four boys soccer teams claimed victory in area playoff matches on Tuesday.
With the soccer and quality athletics in Texas, the odds against such an achievement are high. Yet fourth-place district finisher Cinco Ranch (12-5-5) outran Westside, 5-2, to earn a regional quarterfinal rematch against No. 3 Seven Lakes (23-1-1), the 19-6A unbeaten district champion.
Seven Lakes receives most of the media attention for its reputation and impressive run to state in 2022. However history suggests that fourth-place finishers don’t stand a chance against district champions in the postseason.
Well Cinco Ranch blew that rule out of the water last week by defeating district champion Ridge Point, 2-2 (3-1) in a shootout. The Cougars followed that with an area win over Westside and will play Seven Lakes on Friday in a rare home doubleheader regional quarterfinal for all Katy ISD boys’ teams.
On Tuesday at Spring Woods, the Jordan Warriors (15-7-3) tied a talented Cy Ridge, 2-2, in regulation and walked off with a 3-2 OT win on a 32-yard, OT blast from Marcelo Ojeda. Of course Ben Bucic scored also to tie the match in regulation.
Paetow (15-2-4) then downed Lamar, 4-3, with its powerful front line attack to advance to Friday’s regional quarterfinals. The Panthers have only lost to Seven Lakes this year while Jordan has managed a 1-0 loss and a tie.
The quarterfinals set up this way:
- At 5:30 p.m.. Jordan, which lost to Paetow twice by the score of 3-1, will get a third shot at the Panthers at Legacy Stadium. Paetow has the history here, but Jordan has the tools to pull an upset with the Warriors’ state tournament run in 2022.
- At 7:30 p.m., Seven Lakes and Cinco Ranch will collide again at Legacy. The Cougars might have matched up better with Paetow, where Cinco Ranch secured two ties in district. But this team can confound any foe at the right time. The Spartans, massively talented and playing at the top of their game, will be hard to hold down.
But the fun is in trying and knowing anything is possible in the soccer playoffs.
-
- Paetow forward Anthony Garcia (10) celebrates a first-half goal to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead over Lamar on Tuesday. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos.com)
-
- Jordan players showed their energy before overtime begins against Cy Ridge. The Warriors scored quickly and held on for a 3-2 area playoff victory. (Photos by Terry Carter/UDPhotos)
