Lehman’s Diego Garcia dribbles the ball down the field in the second half of the Lobos’ 2-1 win over Schertz Clemens on January 18th. (Photo by Moses A. Leos III)
by MOSES A. LEOS III
The Lehman Lobo boys soccer team remains undefeated, closing Tuesday’s game against the Wimberley Texans 3-1.
The boys came out attacking and, behind the strength of three first half goals from the duo of freshman Diego Garcia and senior Eli Guajardo, the Lobos’ defense stifled the Texans.
In an earlier game against Schertz Clements, two first half goals were enough for the team to prevail 2-1, improving the Lobos’ record on a cold Friday night.
The Lobo attack garnered a few scoring chances in the first few minutes of play, but the best opportunity came in the 20th minute with a free kick from senior defenseman Chris Piedra. On that set piece, Piedra lofted the ball into the 18-yard box, allowing attacking midfielder Rene Torres to settle underneath and redirect the kick into the goal.
“Chris did a good job of chipping the ball over the defense. I just happened to slip past their defenders, into an open area, deflecting the ball with my head into the net,” said Torres.
The Lobos’ final goal of the match was scored via a penalty kick by senior Eli Guajardo.
Guajardo was running for a clear lane to the goal, but was tackled from behind before getting a shot off. Guajardo’s right-footed penalty shot went in, giving the Lobos a two goal advantage with less than 7 minutes to go in the first half.
Schertz Clemens would counter a few minutes later, as they scored a goal with just a couple of minutes left before halftime.
However, a controlling defensive effort by the Lobos kept the Buffaloes from ever finding the back of the net the remainder of the match. Clemens did mount a last minute flurry of shots, nearly scoring on a couple of looks, but the Lobos were savvy enough to thwart the threat.
“We had to organize defensively after the first goal. We were able to mark our man, step into balls more, communicate and win the ‘50-50 balls’. In the last few seconds, we defended as well as we could until time ran out,” said Piedra.
Lehman head soccer coach Jay Sansom talked about the strength of Clemens midfielders and how they helped his team adjust.
“Clemens’ midfielders were a little faster than what we’ve seen so far this season. Defensively, we had to rotate, to fill in the gaps. We’ve been working on defense quite a bit so far this year. Tonight, we got a glimpse that we are a much better group,” Sansom said.
Torres said the Lobos worked around the issue of Clemens midfielders.
“We got by them through small, short passes. It helped us position the ball. The shorter passes also helped us to tear apart their midfield at key moments,” Torres said.
Overall, Sansom was happy at the effort his students put forth to keep the Lobos unbeaten. However, he would also stress the need to continue to strive beyond the team’s recent run of success.
Related stories:
- Lobos beat Manor 1-0 to take third place in 2013 Rebel Cup 01/16/2013
- Lehman boys soccer stays in first 02/25/2013
- Lobos soccer boys dreaming of playoff run 03/13/2013
