Marble Falls girls soccer season ends in playoff loss to Wimberley
CAPTION: Part of the Marble Falls Lady Mustangs’ plan against Wimberley is to cut off passing lanes to disrupt the offensive flow as demonstrated by Sachi Marcum (21) and Elizabeth Busby. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School girls soccer team lost to Wimberley 2-0 March 24 in a bi-district championship to end the 2022-23 season.
The Lady Mustangs finished second in District 24-4A and advanced to the playoffs for only the second time in program history, head coach Abigail Blunt said.
“This Lady Mustang team was impactful,” she said. “It’s been 13 years (since the last playoff appearance). That’s what we’ve been working for. They’re the building blocks. They were the difference makers, they were the team that started it all. I think they need to be proud of themselves.”
The Lady Texans (18-3-2, 8-3-1 District 26-4A third place) scored a goal in the first half by outrunning the Lady Mustang defense and going one-on-one with Marble Falls senior goalie Allison Harris for a 1-0 lead at the intermission.
“They just beat us and got a good shot,” Blunt said.
The second goal came off a Harris block who had to dive to her right and stretch to keep the ball out. But it bounced off her arms to a waiting Texann, who found the left corner uncovered.
Wimberley’s players displayed the intangibles that make it a tough opponent: height, natural speed and quickness, and the ability to finish plays when the opportunity arises.
“Wimberley is a good team,” Blunt said. “When it comes to their players, there’s no drop-off (between the starters and the reserves). That’s what makes a great team. You can’t find the holes in their roster. They want to win the 50-50 balls, and they had the historic past.”
And that may explain the surprise felt by the Wimberley faithful when the Lady Mustangs challenged every pass, covered every Texann and refused to give up multiple goals in the 80-minute match.
No play highlighted that more than Wimberley’s missed penalty kick, which is typically automatic in most contests.
The ending was bittersweet for the Lady Mustangs, especially the six seniors.
“This team has been together since the ages of six and seven,” Harris said. “This is the last time of being together. We made the most of it. We had the goal of going to the playoffs. We put up a fight. We kept our composure and played clean and hard. We still fought till the end. I’m proud of this team.”
It didn’t take her long to say what she hopes fans will remember about this squad.
“I want them to remember us as a team that made history,” Harris said. “We had each other’s backs, and we were a family.”
Blunt believes this season will serve as a springboard for making advancing to the playoffs a habit.
“Now the second hardest part is continuing that tradition,” she said. “I had some juniors who were bawling and some who were really upset. It makes a difference. You feel the love and care you for this team.”
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