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WEB EXCLUSIVE: At a loss: PISD boys soccer squads struggling early in 10-5A play
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
Three games into the District 10-5A schedule and the same quandary faced all three Plano ISD boys soccer teams.
That would be the apparently tall order of just trying to win matches.
When Tuesday's soccer slate went final, all three PISD squads occupied the bottom half of 10-5A, with Plano East and Plano Senior (0-1-2) tied for fourth place with two points and Plano West (0-2-1) alone in sixth with one point.
"It was a very, very fast-paced game on both sides," said Rick Woodard, East head coach. "Both teams just took advantage of their scoring opportunities and watching it on tape, both teams missed some golden chances that could have made that score even higher."
The Panthers never trailed but failed to fend off the Wildcats, even after East was granted a fortuitous goal in the closing minutes of the match after the ball took an awkward angle following a kick on a clear-out attempt by the Plano defense. The ball careened backwards and into the Wildcats' net for an own goal to give East a 4-3 lead with roughly 90 seconds remaining.
The momentum proved short-lived as Plano senior Jessey Hein immediately responded with a deep through ball that found senior Oscar Martinez, who scored the game-tying goal -- his second of the contest.
"The end of the game was just a maelstrom of craziness," said Doug Adams, Plano head coach.
East forced Plano to play catch-up for the majority of the night, opening up the game with a 2-0 lead that featured some nifty offense by senior Keven Morales, who scored three goals in the win. Senior Gustavo Piedra laid claim to East's fourth goal.
"Keven is starting to come into his own," Woodard said. "He's playing really well; he's picking and choosing when to take on an opponent and when to dish it."
The Wildcats would score two unanswered before the end of the first half, with Martinez and senior Steven Cypert finding the back of the net. After East claimed a 3-2 lead on a Plano defensive miscue in the second half, Cypert again had the answer on a cross set up by junior Austin Hubbard to tie the count at 3-3.
"This is the first game in district that we were able to put in four legitimate goals," Adams said. "We had legitimate ball-play goals and I'm proud of the boys with the way they put it together after playing the majority of the game down."
Those scoring chances hadn't come to fruition in Plano's previous two games, with the Wildcats blanked by McKinney (0-0) and McKinney Boyd (2-0). Adams said goals scored on the edges of halves -- either at the beginning or end -- were among the needs that will be addressed going forward.
East found itself in a similar boat, only mustering one district goal prior to Tuesday's match in a 1-1 tie with McKinney that followed a 2-0 loss to Allen.
"I think we've been playing well," Woodard said. "We need to solidify some things on defense. Against Plano, we created many more scoring opportunities but we've played three completely different styles of teams and I think the boys have adjusted well in each game."
Scoring hasn't been a problem for the Wolves, who scored six goals over their first three 10-5A matchups.
The quandary lies on the other end where West has surrendered 11 goals.
A 6-3 loss to Boyd opened district, followed by a 3-3 tie with the Eagles before failing to score in a 2-0 setback Tuesday against the Lions. Sophomore Trent Johnson has supplied the offensive ammunition with four goals in district so far with juniors Xavier Hanna and Bryce Young also finding the back of the net.
Young scored again Friday against Plano, but it wasn't enough to notch the Wolves' first 10-5A win as the Wildcats righted the ship behind two goals from senior Daniel Tomeny for a 2-1 victory. The Panthers remained winless in district though, despite just a 2-1 loss to 10-5A top dog Boyd, with junior Derek Thompson finding the back of the net for East.
The Panthers and Wolves square off for the first time this year Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. from Clark Stadium while Plano wraps its first half of district at the same time at Allen.
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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