Marble Falls boys soccer beats Austin KIPP

CAPTION: Jostin Buezo Lopez scores the only goal of the match against Austin KIPP Jan. 20 to ensure a Marble Falls win. Photo by Stennis Shotts

The Marble Falls High School boys soccer team defeated Austin KIPP 1-0 Jan. 20 in non-district play.

The goal was scored by Jostin Buezo Lopez on an assist from Joaquin Aguilar with about 20 minutes left in the first half.

“We had tons of chances offensively,” head coach Ryan said. “It’s a much better game than we’ve had in the last several (days). We had lots of shots, possessed the ball and made good runs. Defensively, we played smart with everything.”

Craven acknowledged that the Mustangs, most of whom are brand new to the varsity this year, are experiencing something they haven’t encountered previously – the lack of scoring. He emphasized it’s not because of a lack of effort. He pointed out the Mustangs are sprinting from one side of the field to the other, communicating and doing all they can to put themselves in position to score.

“I can tell some of our guys are getting frustrated,” he said. “They’re still battling. They’re still playing, and they’re still firing.”

He added the Mustangs took several shots at goal, especially in the first half. So his message during halftime was to be consistent.

“They’d taken a lot of shots that weren’t getting in,” the coach said. “Just keep shooting. Focus on getting your weight over the ball and striking. Focus on the little things. But don’t stop shooting it. And eventually they’ll fall through. The goals are going to come.”

Craven added the Mustangs “were very offensive minded” against KIPP. The formation called for five defenders and five attackers.

“It turned out those five in the back really had to win the ball,” he said. “Our wingers had to get back and help defend, too, but then transitioning up into the attack because we were trying to put a lot of pressure on them offensively. We were able to win the ball and find the open guy.”

The formation yielded what the coach wanted – more shot attempts. Now it’s a matter of completing the play.

Marble Falls is welcoming Little River Academy Thursday, Jan. 22, instead of Friday because of the anticipated bad weather. It’s a doubleheader with the Lady Mustangs, who play at 5 p.m. and the Mustangs follow at 6:30 p.m.

“I’m really positive with our effort, everything about it, other than the fact that we didn’t score more goals” Craven said. “We just have to keep practicing and keep taking shots, because we’re making our runs and we’re possessing the ball well and we’re defending well. The last piece is getting the ball to go in the back of the net.” 

CAPTION: Joaquin Aguilar (left) provides the invaluable assist on the goal. Photo by Stennis Shotts