Marble Falls boys soccer earns win against Salado in opener of Georgetown’s Governor’s Cup

CAPTION: The Marble Falls Mustangs celebrate a 1-0 win against Salado in their first contest of the Governor’s Cup. Courtesy photo

The Marble Falls High School boys soccer team defeated Salado 1-0 Jan. 5 in the first game of the Governor’s Cup in Georgetown.

The Mustangs return for their second game against Brownwood at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, at Georgetown East View High School.

The lone goal was scored by Esteban Dominguez on a free kick from 25 yards after getting fouled with 15 minutes remaining in the contest.

“For Salado, anything short of the regional tournament is a bad year,” Mustangs head coach Rick Hoover said. “They have been consistently going. (This match) could have gone either way. They’re a rock solid team. It was a good opportunity for us to have a measuring stick on how we’re going to size up against better Class 4A teams.”

Marble Falls, which dropped to Class 4A during realignment in February, is now a member of District 25-4A with Austin Achieve, Burnet, Florence, Jarrell and Lago Vista.

But this event is doing more for the Mustangs than give them minutes on the pitch, Hoover said.

“It’s a showcase,” he said. “They invite college coaches to come and watch. (Showcase officials) do a good job of putting programs together. That’s one of the reasons we go to this tournament. For those kids, who do want to play at the next level, you have to be seen at these places.”

Because of the number of teams playing in this event, seeing numerous college coaches is the norm.

“That’s one of the reasons we go to this tournament,” Hoover said. “You have to be seen at those places. There are a lot of high school teams there. You have to get in front of the right people. College soccer is different. They don’t come out and recruit like they do in football. In three days, they can see 20 different teams and take notes.”

Since it’s a showcase, the event draws teams from across the state, including Dallas and Fort Worth, El Paso and Houston in addition to the Austin area, The coach said he had tried to get into this event for years. But it wasn’t until the Mustangs played in the Class 5A Region I tournament in 2018 that the program received an invitation to compete in the 2019 Governor’s Cup.

“It’s a combination of the better Class 4A, 5A and 6A teams,” the coach said. “It’s one of the bigger showcases. We always like to compete in tournaments where we play for something.”

The Mustangs conclude the tournament against Austin Crockett at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, at East View High.

“I have a very young team of sophomores and a freshman,” Hoover said. “It’s just big on that stage. You’re more crisp, more focused and more intense. We’re young. The amount of fight in these kids is unbelievable. They have a good attitude about them and expect to win every time they step on the field.”

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