Burnet boys soccer and Legacy Ranch tie

CAPTION: Burnet senior goalie Roberto Montoya Carranza and the Bulldogs stopped more goals than the Wranglers liked. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School boys soccer team and Liberty Hill Legacy Ranch ended their contest in a 1-1 tie Jan. 22.

The match, which was played a day earlier than scheduled to avoid the coming bad weather, was the District 25-4A opener for the Bulldogs.

After the two played a scoreless first half, freshman Alex Aviles found the back of the net 10 minutes into the second half thanks to an assist from Marco Campos-Huerta.

“Alex is like Pele out there,” head coach Benjamin Boorman said. “It was the first goal for Alex on the varsity team.”

The goal came after a Bulldog exited with an injury.

“After he went out, the air fell out of the team for a minute,” Boorman said. “And when Alex scored, it picked everybody back up, so it was an exciting moment for him. That was a good moment, and the team was playing really well.”

The injury along with another player who missed the game because of illness forced Boorman to move some Bulldogs to different spots. That left very few center backs available.

“I had put some guys in there that weren’t trained, and we held strong the whole game,” he said.

In the final minute, a Bulldog “pushed up” and tried to keep the ball close to the Legacy Ranch goal. That means the Wranglers would have to steal and sprint 100 yards to go for the tying goal.

“They stole it from (us) and pushed it all the way down the field,” Boorman said. “And with 18 seconds left, they beat the center defender and went one-on-one with the keeper and put it in to tie. That was a little deflating, but I have to give it to Legacy Ranch. It’s a big moment for them as a new school and that’ll build their confidence.”

He noted he used the outcome as a teaching opportunity.

“They were in anguish,” the coach said of his Bulldogs. “These teenage boys were just really upset with themselves, and that makes me feel good as a coach that they take it personally. It taught us some things, too, about having some backups for center backs. So yeah, all teachable moments.” 

After the match, the Bulldogs had a team dinner where Boorman addressed the players.

“I had a nice long talk with the guys,” he said. “I pulled the captains aside and talked to them. I think we walked away from that game with a much better feel about how to overcome adversity. And I truly feel like we’re going to bounce back from that.” 

Burnet welcomes Lago Vista Wednesday, Jan. 28, in a varsity only match at 5 p.m. then travels to Florence Friday, Jan. 30, with the junior varsity playing at 5 p.m. and the varsity at 7 p.m.

CAPTION: Burnet freshman midfielder Justin Morales Martinez shows great control over the ball. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography