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Marble Falls boys soccer finishes third in district, prepares for playoffs

JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF

MARBLE FALLS — Rarely do teams view ties as wins, but that was the case for the Marble Falls High School boys soccer team.

Down 3-0 at the half against Leander Rouse, the Mustangs (11-6-3 overall, 4-4-2 District 51-4A) scored three unanswered goals to end their regular season with a win.

“This exemplifies how this team is,” Marble Falls head coach Rick Hoover said. “This team never quits. We’ve come from behind to win or tie five times. That’s character. Momentum is definitely in our favor.”

As a result, Marble Falls finished third in the District 51-4A standings and will face Austin McCallum, the runner-up of District 52-4A, in the first round of the playoffs at 6 p.m. March 24. The game will be held at House Park, 1301 Shoal Creek Blvd. in Austin.

During the intermission, Hoover told his players they were experiencing what playoff soccer is all about: trailing and then making a comeback.

“‘We have to take their best shot and bounce back,'” he recalled saying. “‘They’re all going to be good.’ We answered.”

The Mustangs were inches away from winning the game, he said, but the ball was stopped before it went past the crossbar.

Hoover is in his first season at the helm, and he noted he has a roster filled with gifted players.

“These kids definitely know how good they are,” he said. “This team, talent wise, can play at a higher level. Once they start believing that, great things will happen. We jumped into the district race and scrapped our way through it. I’m excited about it. I think good things are about to happen.”

jfierro@thepicayune.com

ON OFFENSE: goals – Erik Salgado, Jimmy Fermin, Gaveno Jinajera; assists – Salgado 2, Chance Daniels

RECORDS: Marble Falls is 11-6-3 overall and 4-4-2 in District 51-4A.

UP NEXT: 6 p.m. March 24, Marble Falls vs. Austin McCallum at House Park, 1301 Shoal Creek Blvd. in Austin, in the first round of Class 4A playoffs

 

Leander Rouse 4, Marble Falls girls 0

 

LEANDER — The Marble Falls High School girls soccer team fell 4-0 to Leander Rouse in District 51-4A action to end its 2014 season.

Lady Mustangs head coach Trey Young named as players of the game Julissa Solorzano, who made her first start at goalie, and Dani Suarez and Karina Palacio for their four years to the program and performance in their final game.

Though the Lady Mustangs (7-9-5 overall, 1-9 district) didn’t qualify for the playoffs, Young said he saw a lot of growth from his players.

“Overall, it was a positive season,” he said. “I saw a lot of progress, both in tournament play, preseason games and closing the gap in district, which gives a concrete goal for next year. But with this district, it shows we have a lot more to do still to get where we want to be. It’s hard to see it when district results are losses, but I see encouraging signs.”