Marble Falls boys soccer uses tourney to create depth
CAPTION: Head coach Ryan Craven (standing, left) is mixing and matching his lineup in order to create a depth chart that maximizes what the Mustangs do best. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School boys soccer team went 0-2-1 at the Governor’s Cup tournament Jan. 2-4 hosted by Georgetown Independent School District.
The Mustangs (0-2-1) tied Pflugerville Weiss 1-1 and lost to Georgetown 4-3 and to Leander Rouse 1-0.
Weiss took a 1-0 half-time lead then the Mustangs scored midway through the second half.
Against Georgetown, Marble Falls scored first. But the Eagles responded by scoring four consecutive goals. After the Mustangs scored two goals, they looked for the equalizer.
“We almost had a chance to tie it,” head coach Ryan Craven said. “They scored four goals in the first five minutes of the second half. I was proud. We battled back and didn’t blink an eye.”
Rouse junior goalie Grant Simmons was impressive, Craven said.
“We possessed the ball most of the game,” he said. “Their goalie was extremely good.”
The Raiders scored on a kick from 25 yards out.
The tournament allowed Craven to mix and match the lineup. Some Mustangs were still out of town and didn’t participate in the tournament.
“We were playing with guys in our lineup at different spots,” he said. “I wanted (the tournament) to help put us in game shape for the season. We have players who were on the junior varsity last year, who are getting a taste of (what it’s like to play varsity soccer).”
The other big positive from the tournament is that it gave coaches an opportunity to develop a depth chart for substitutions.
“We’re creating some depth,” Craven said. “We created depth in some spots. Once we figure out how to score consistently, we’ll be fine. I need us to be able to win games 2-0 and 3-1. It’ll be a tough district.”
Marble Falls is at Austin Achieve Tuesday, Jan. 7, with the junior varsity playing at 5 p.m. and the varsity to follow.
