Mustangs soccer gets first district win
Marble Falls sophomore midfielder Garrett Goggans had one goal in the Mustangs' 5-2 district win over Liberty Hill on Feb. 7. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
After a tie and back-to-back losses to begin District 25-5A play, the Marble Falls High School boys’ soccer team exploded Monday, Feb. 7, in a 5-2 win against Liberty Hill, a game that was postponed from Feb. 4 due to weather.
Head coach Rick Hoover said the Mustangs (4-7-3 overall, 1-2-1 district) were due for their first district win.
“We’ve been playing well the last three district games. The difference is we finished (against the Panthers),” he said. “We had as many chances in the other games, but we were in a slump. Tonight, we were able to put the ball in the back of the net.”
The Mustangs led throughout the match. Junior forward Armando Arcadio got the scoring started with a goal off of a ricochet with 32 minutes and 48 seconds left in the first half.
Marble Falls added to its advantage with a goal by junior midfielder Max Najera on an assist from junior forward Caleb Vidal with about 23 minutes left in the half.
The Panthers (4-4-3, 0-3-1) trimmed the deficit to 2-1 with 20:56 remaining in the half.
While the two teams went almost 21 minutes in the first half without scoring, they each found the back of the net by 45 seconds into the second half.
Marble Falls sophomore midfielder Garrett Goggans knocked in a goal at the 29-second mark off of an assist from Arcadio. Sixteen seconds later, Liberty Hill scored.
But Marble Falls senior forward Josh Ortiz used another Vidal assist for a goal with 24:36 remaining in the contest. Senior defender Isaias Fernandez scored the Mustangs’ final goal after he slipped it in off of a feed from senior defender Tim Vidal.
Meanwhile, the Marble Falls defense never let up.
“We’ve been playing defense so well, good enough to win,” Hoover said. “When you hold your opponent to one goal, that’s good enough to win. That’s what we’ve been doing. We just haven’t been able to score. Our defense has been the backbone, and our offense finally got into a groove.”
The coach noted the Mustangs have depth, so he’s able to rotate players in as he watches the matches unfold, which is why he believes they’ve been competitive in every district contest.
“I think we have a really good team,” he said. “What’s good about it is you have to learn to play as a team. I think that’s why we’re playing so well.”
The Mustangs travel to Leander Glenn, 1320 Collaborative Way in Leander, on Tuesday, Feb. 8. Junior Varsity 2 plays at 4:15 p.m. followed by Junior Varsity 1 at 5:40 p.m. and the varsity at 7:15 p.m.
MARBLE FALLS GIRLS’ SOCCER
The Lady Mustangs (0-9, 0-4) lost 5-0 to Liberty Hill (10-1-2, 3-0-1) on Feb. 5. The girls’ squad hosts Leander Glenn on Tuesday at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive. The junior varsity plays at 5:30 p.m., and the varsity takes the field at 7:15 p.m.