By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
GEORGETOWN — The end of the soccer season came all too soon for the Lopez Lobos in Friday’s Class 6A semifinals at the UIL state tournament.
The Lobos lost 2-1 to Austin Lake Travis and came up short of their objective to reach the 6A state championship match at Georgetown ISD’s Birkelbach Field.
Friday’s win advanced Lake Travis (25-1) to the 6A state title match at 6:30 p.m. Saturday to face the Coppell Cowboys (23-0-2). Coppell defeated Katy Cinco Ranch 1-0 on a first-half penalty kick by Nick Taylor during the sixth minute in the other 6A semifinal earlier in the day.
Lake Travis came out with an aggressive attack against the Lobos from the outset and it resulted in Lopez (21-3-1) falling behind early.
“I think we came out a little bit nervous in the first half,” said Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon, who went into the stands after it was over to personally thank the Lobos fans for attending the game. “Lake Travis came out and pressured us right away. In the first half we wasted a lot of balls, a lot of possessions.
“We made adjustments at halftime and came out on fire the second half,” he added. “Unfortunately, we ran out of time.”
The Cavaliers’ Luke Thompson, a junior midfielder, dribbled in close and sent the ball into the left corner of the net to give his team a 1-0 advantage during only the third minute.
It became 2-0 for the Cavaliers during the 29th minute when Jack Stoudemire’s long free kick from midfield carried into the goal area and teammate Bijan Ahmadian, a senior midfielder, headed it in.
Lake Travis led 2-0 at halftime, and that was all the scoring it needed.
Ulysses Ortegon’s header into the net with 10 1/2 minutes left gave the Lobos some hope as they cut the lead to 2-1. The senior defender’s goal came thanks to an assist by Benito Cazares, also a senior defender.
“Lake Travis was pressuring us a lot in the beginning and we weren’t expecting that,” Ortegon said. “They caught us off guard (and scored), and that’s what ended up costing us the game.”
Throughout much of the match, the Cavaliers enjoyed success advancing the ball down the flanks and repeatedly frustrated the Lobos by using their speed to cut off Lopez’s passing lanes.
The District 32-6A champion Lobos made it to the state tournament this season thanks to five victories in the 6A playoffs. Those wins came against Edinburg Economedes (6-1), La Joya High (4-1), La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (2-1), Schertz Clemens (3-2) and San Antonio Reagan (1-0).
Friday marked the fourth appearance at state for Lopez. This season marks the first time for Lake Travis to make it to state.
Previously, the Lobos advanced to Georgetown in 2004 and captured the Class 4A state crown. Lopez returned in 2009 and finished as the Class 5A state runner-up. The Lobos’ third trip to state in 2014 resulted in a loss in the 5A semifinals.
Lopez is one of the few, if not only, teams to compete at state in all three classes.
our trips to state ties the Lobos with Southmost neighbor Porter for the most by a Rio Grande Valley team in soccer.
Lopez and Porter will be members of District 32-5A again next school year.