By Terry Carter,
Playing with the wind did not favor the Warriors on Friday. Jordan and Paetow finished a scoreless first half.
But playing into the wind gave the motivated, resilient Warriors just enough of an edge to squeak out a 1-0 Region III-6A win over the Panthers’ dynamic front line scorers. The 5:30 p.m. regional quarterfinal matchup at Legacy Stadium was part of a doubleheader featuring only District 19-6A boys’ soccer teams.
And the talented showed in both matches.
The second-half Warrior score secured Jordan’s first win over Paetow in two varsity seasons. This winter Paetow finished second in District 19-6A play with a pair of 3-1 victories over Jordan. Of course Jordan did finish strong in 5A playoff, advancing to the 5A state soccer championships in 2022.
The difference in the match was Warrior Ben Bucic’s header into the top right corner of the goal.
“The Paetow coach and I talked before the game, and we didn’t figure if would be a 1-0 game. We figured it would be 4-3, something like that,” Jordan soccer coach Jason Meekins said. “This is our eighth playoff win. So we’ve been here before. Confidence is always here for our kids, and because of this game, we’ll get to play another one.”
In the second match of the night at Legacy, Seven Lakes took an early 1-0 lead, but Cinco Ranch rallied to tie the game, 2-2, forcing overtime. After two OT periods, the Spartans held off the Cougars 4-3 in a tense shootout.
So Jordan and Seven Lakes advance to next Friday’s Region III-6A semifinals at Abshire Stadium in Deer Park.
Jordan’s Ben Bucic (13) heads the game-winning goal into the corner just beyond the reach of Paetow’s goalkeeper on Friday night. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos)
