Marble Falls boys soccer defeats Bandera
CAPTION: Brandon Guevara’s defensive prowess results in good things happening for the Mustangs, according to head coach Ryan Craven (middle) and assistant coach David Griffin. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School boys soccer team crushed Bandera 5-2 Feb. 25 in District 26-4A play.
The Mustangs (10-5-2, 3-1-1) took a 5-0 lead at the half and kept it for 60 of the 80 minutes of the match.
“In the second half, they got a fluke goal on us,” head coach Ryan Craven said. “Overall, we played a pretty good game.”
In the final 20 minutes, coaches substituted.
Goals came from Marco Almazan, Joaquin Aguilar and Esteban Dominguez.
“It’s always good when your top three are scoring,” Craven said.
Defensively, the Mustangs committed to playing lock-down defense and limited what the Bulldogs could do.
“It was our best defensive game,” Craven said. “We emphasized the infield and putting pressure on them. We did really well. Alexis Fregoso did a really good job on-ball and so did Brandon Guevara.”
The two-and-a-half hour bus ride coupled with waiting another two hours for the junior varsity match to finish didn’t take the varsity’s focus or mindset in other places. The coach said the Mustangs’ warm-up illustrated they were ready.
“Our guys like being around one another,” he said. “They rest on the bus, play music and video games. Everyone felt good.”
Marble Falls is at Wimberley Friday, Feb. 28, with the junior varsity playing at 5 p.m. and the varsity to follow.
The match starts the second half of district play. The Mustangs are in third place in the standings with San Antonio Davenport (4-0-1) in first place followed by Fredericksburg (4-1).
If Marble Falls can win out, the Mustangs will win at least a share of the district crown and enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. But three of the final five matches are on the road, including at Fredericksburg.
“They understand our goal at this point, and there’s no room for error,” Craven said. “They are coming in with focus.”
