Marble Falls boys soccer beats Austin Achieve despite playing with one less player

CAPTION: The Marble Falls Mustangs continue to find ways to win and overcome obstacles, even when the opponent plays with one more player. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School boys soccer team defeated Austin Achieve 1-0 Feb. 3 in a District 25-4A contest where the Mustangs were forced to play with 10 players for the final 30 minutes.

The Mustangs (10-4, 2-0) got what turned out to be the game-winning goal in 15 minutes of play in the first half when Esteban Dominguez found the back of the net. Diego Mata was credited with the assist.

“The rest of the game until the second half was even,” head coach Rick Hoover said. “One of our forwards got a red card.”

That meant the Mustangs, who are ranked No. 2 in Class 4A Region IV and No. 6 in the state in Class 4A, had to play the final 30 minutes with 10 players on the field instead of 11.

And they still won the game.

“It’s all about the heart and all about the want-to,” Hoover said. “These kids don’t quit.”

The Mustangs were prepared for this scenario because they practice it. But the coach pointed out that even in the four losses this season — where Marble Falls has had 11 players on the pitch — there were factors that contributed to the final outcome. The one constant, however, is the Mustangs’ mentality.

“They fight till the end,” he said. “When we get beat, we go down with a fight. We fight till the very end. You can push a lot of the kids. But it’s hard to instill it. They expect to win, and they don’t care about the circumstances. They truly expect to win.”

Hoover complimented Achieve, noting it showed its talent and versatility throughout the match-up.

“We’ll play them again,” he said, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Marble Falls faces Florence at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Mustang Stadium, which is a change from the original schedule. Florence’s home stadium is undergoing construction and can’t be used for soccer right now.

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