Marble Falls boys soccer beats Canyon Lake
CAPTION: William Guzman exhibits the traits head coach Ryan Craven has said are important to the team – bringing energy and braun to the field and helping to make things happen. Guzman’s assist helped the Mustangs earn another district victory. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School boys soccer team beat Fischer Canyon Lake 2-1 March 11 in District 26-4A play.
For the Hawks (5-14-2, 0-7-2), the outcome was a dagger in the heart.
The match was tied at 1-1 when senior William Guzman, whom head coach Ryan Craven says is a kid with braun, found senior Marco Almazan, who knew what to do with the ball – put it in the back of the net.
The goal came with 20 seconds left in the match.
“Will passed it quickly,” Craven said. “Marco let it rip from the 18-yard line. Will brought some energy.”
Almazan also scored the Mustangs’ (13-5-3, 6-1-2) first goal to give them a 1-0 lead at the half. Esteban Dominguez had the assist.
“It was definitely a frustrating win,” Craven said. “Our guys found a way to win.”
Marble Falls “possessed the ball” virtually the entire night, which means the majority of the match was played on Canyon Lake’s side of the 50-yard line.
But defenses have their players in prime spots in front of the goal and not allowing the Mustangs to see a clear path to scoring.
“We had a lot of shots, but they packed the box,” Craven said. “They blocked shots and defended well. We had a lot of chances. In the final third, we’re not finishing like we want to. We’re getting a lot of shots blocked because teams are moving to the ball.”
The Hawks used one of those blocks to start a counter attack led by their goalie that resulted in their only goal.
“We left a guy unmarked,” the coach said. “That’s one of the very few they had. They scored with (about) 30 minutes left in the game.”
He also pointed out that Canyon Lake has experienced five losses by a single goal and three others by two goals.
“They play with pride,” Craven said. “They’re not a pushover. We’re in a tough district. Everybody is playing with pride.”
The victory coupled with San Antonio Davenport’s (8-7-2, 7-1-1) 2-0 win against Fredericksburg (10-8-1, 6-2-1) March 11 moved the Mustangs to second place in the district standings with one game left in the regular season. Marble Falls had already clinched a playoff berth.
Marble Falls welcomes Bandera (11-8-3, 3-5-1) Friday, March 14. Marble Falls’ junior varsity B will play an intrasquad scrimmage at 3:45 p.m. The Mustangs’ junior varsity faces the Bulldogs at 5 p.m. and the varsity follows.
The Class 4A playoffs will begin March 20-22. An opponent along with site, date and time of the bi-district championship will be announced once the regular season wraps up.
