By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
SAN ANTONIO — This time the comeback just never materialized for the St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds.
Trailing by two goals twice during Tuesday’s TAPPS state soccer semifinal, the Bloodhounds did all they could to battle back, but couldn’t quite come up with the equalizer they needed down the stretch and lost 3-2 to Addison Trinity Christian at San Antonio Central Catholic’s Bob Benson 1966 Stadium.
It was the second straight season that SJA reached the TAPPS state semifinals in soccer.
Trinity Christian (19-4-2) moves on to Friday’s state final in San Antonio against Houston Awty International or Plano John Paul II, while the season ends for SJA (18-6-1).
Just 10 days ago, the Bloodhounds rallied from a 2-0 deficit at home to defeat district foe San Antonio Antonian 3-2 in overtime. But on this sunny, wind-swept Alamo City day with temperatures in the upper 60s, the Bloodhounds’ rally came up just short.
“I’m very proud of our team, and I’m very excited about the future of St. Joseph soccer,” Bloodhounds coach Tino Villarreal said. “As far as what we did this season (in getting back to the semifinals), it was extraordinary. It’s very difficult to do it two years in a row.
“Our boys are pretty disappointed. They wanted to reach higher and not have the season end (again) like this. We kind of fell into a hole early (by trailing 2-0 after 15 minutes), but we started picking it up and started playing tougher. Going against a 30-mph wind (during the second half) wasn’t helping us much.”
Going against a stiff wind, Trinity Christian’s Matthew Springfield attacked down the middle during the 10th minute and beat an SJA defender and the goalkeeper in sending a bouncing shot from just outside the box into the goal.
Matters became even more dire for the Bloodhounds during the 15th minute when they were called for a trip in the area and the Trojans were awarded a penalty kick. Jack Savage converted it with a bullet of a shot into the left corner of the net.
Savage’s goal left the Bloodhounds trailing 2-0 with 25 minutes left in the half.
Then Jose Kauachi gave SJA some hope by taking a free kick from the left side just outside the area and sending it into the right corner of the goal. The score came during the 36th minute, and the Bloodhounds went into intermission behind 2-1.
The Trojans went up by two goals again, 3-1, during the 47th minute when Springfield fired in a shot from about 15 yards out.
Eleven minutes later, with 22 minutes left to play, the Bloodhounds received new life again when SJA’s Anuar Atiye found the net from about 18 yards away on an uncontested shot from the left side.
Despite a spirited effort to score again as time ticked away in the match, the game-tying goal for the Bloodhounds just never came about.
“I thought we did everything we possibly could (to rally),” Villarreal said. “We had good looks and great opportunities (to score). Trinity Christian just capitalized on our mistakes and we couldn’t capitalize (completely) on theirs, and that’s really what it came down to.”
Trinity Chrsitian now will be playing in a TAPPS state championship match for the third time. The Trojans won it all in 2005 and were edged by San Antonio Central Catholic on penalties in the 2014 state final.
“Brownsville brought it today,” Trinity Christian coach Russ Tarbet said. “They’re a very technical team. It was everything we could do to hang on and win. Brownsville’s skill level was great and they played great as a team. I felt like we just wanted to stay composed and stick with our game plan, and I think that’s what helped us come out on top.”