Falcons look for return trip to state
The 13-and-under squad, which is a member of the Granite Country Youth Soccer Association, will be in Corpus Christi this weekend to defend the Western District Championship they have been accustomed to winning.
They will take an 8-1-1 record to the round-robin tournament and aim to finish in the top two in their bracket.
If the Falcons can do that, they will meet one of the top two teams from the other bracket in a single-elimination contest.
Advancing to the championship assures the Falcons of another return trip to the state tournament later in the month.
The Falcons will enter the district tournament with a loss to Lone Star White in the final seconds of the game.
“The wind was blowing, and we let them take long shots,” head coach Jeff Reyes said.
His players stopped competing, thinking an official would blow the whistle to signal a foul. But none was called, he said.
“We got burned,” the coach said.
The tie was to Forca, a group made up of former members of Lone Star.
“They’ve made a tremendous impact in the Austin area,” Reyes said. “They had the wind to our backs and had everything going. We got lackadaisical. Their coach said, ‘We were lucky to tie you guys.’ They got some lucky shots. They scored one goal with the wind to our backs. We know what to do. We just didn’t execute on defense.”
The Falcons will enter the Western District tournament not being the team to beat.
“It feels good not being ranked No. 1,” Reyes said. “We don’t have the targets on our backs.”
One of the squads expected to be there is San Antonio Tigres, a team the Falcons already beat.
“They’re a well-disciplined club team,” the coach said. “We have respect for people they’ve played against. Going to Western District, it’s a different animal there.”
To Reyes, the tie was not good enough, and that will help his players refocus.
“I consider it a loss,” he said. “We get to play again.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com