Lion soccer defeats Lehman on ‘Parent’s Night’

Varsity vs. Lehman
The Lockhart Lion varsity soccer team took on Kyle Lehmen in district play this past Friday, March 3, at the Lockhart Junior High Stadium for a 4-0 victory. The Parent”s Night ceremony preceded the match, and the following seniors and their loved ones were honored before the game:
#2 Nick “Blue” Kestler, #4 Sam Bussa, #6 JC Vogel, #12 Tommy “B

ahama” Garza, #13 Steven Clawson, #14 Josh Yanez, #15 Brian Seeliger, #16 Richie Martinez, #18 Joey “The Riot” Theriot, #20 Cash Monroe, #21 Dwin Roland, and #25 James “Jammer” Kellum.
“A special thanks is extended to all who attended, especially those who participated in the pre-game ceremony,” Coach Robert Ardis said.
As for the game, the Lions could all but clinch a playoff berth with a win.
“I wanted to make sure everyone was focused on the task at hand,” Coach Ardis said. “We must beat Lehman.”
The Lions came out in good shape against the opponent, and less than a minute into the match the Lions took the lead.
Sophomore wing Rory Tunningley made a good run down the left side and crossed the ball in front of the Lehmen goal. Senior JC Vogel was there and netted the cross for a 1-0 lead.
After the reset, the Lions kept the pressure on, and nine minutes later Tunningley again made a run down the left side. This time he elected to shoot, and struck a beautiful curving shot to the backside of the goal for a 2-0 lead. This shot marked Tunningley”s first goal as a member of the varsity squad.
As the first half continued, the Lions persisted at the offensive end of the field, and with two minutes until halftime the Lions struck again. Junior stopper Alex Pfefferkorn thread a perfect pass to junior David Moore, who took advantage of the opportunity for a 3-0 lead. The Lion”s 3-point lead took them into halftime.
“Overall, we looked alright in the first half. In the second half, let”s try to use the entire field and not go straight at their goal,” Coach Ardis told the Lions. “Change up the speed and direction of the attack. Use the second half as a tune up.”
The second half began with the Lions doing exactly what Coach Ardis had asked them to do. Passing improves, as did the spacing and pace of the attack. Although the main focus of the Lions was not to score the ball, opportunities did arise with the better, more intelligent play.
In the 14 minute of the second half, the Lions closed the scoring. Junior midfielder Seth Guckian found an open Joey Theriot, and the senior netted the ball for a 4-0 lead. The game would end without further scoring.
The Lions now have a firm grip on third place in district. The top three teams from each district make the playoffs.
Next, the Lions will host Lake Travis on Friday, March 10, at the Lockhart High School Stadium with games starting at 6 and 7:45 p.m.
Varsity vs. Dripping Springs
The Lockhart Lion Varsity Boys Soccer team traveled to Dripping Springs for a district contest against the Tigers on Tuesday night, Feb. 28.
“This would be a nice win for us,” Coach Ardis said before the game. “We always play these guys tough but always come up just a little short. I think it”s time to change all that.”
The Lions came out strong against the Tigers. Led by senior Dwin Roland, the Lions had several scoring opportunities early in the contest. Unfortunately, these early scoring chances resulted in no goals, in part because of poorly aimed shots and also an inability to find the open man.
“We were just one pass off on several occasions,” Coach Ardis said.
The Tigers opened the scoring in the seventh minute on a quick counter-attack down the sideline, beating goalkeeper Jammer Kellum for an early 1-0 lead. This did not phase the Lions, as they kept on the attack.
A few minutes later, the Lions earned a corner-kick from the right side of the Tiger goal. Seth Guckian struck a great ball that was knocked back to Josh Yanez. The defender put a 40-yard shot on goal that hit the upper 90 (the area where the crossbar connects to the post), and JC Vogel was there to net the ball for a 1-1 tie.
“Josh”s shot was very well placed,” Coach Ardis said. “It actually beat the keeper and would have gone in,” said Coach Ardis.
The tied score would hold up until halftime for Lockhart and Dripping Springs.
“Although I was happy with our offensive play in the first half, I was concerned at the defensive end,”
Coach Ardis said. “We were leaving too many people open on the back side, and we really needed to clean that up.”
The second half began with Dripping Springs possessing the ball. The Tigers worked the ball down the left side to put a cross to the back side, and the Tigers headed the ball home for a 2-1 lead with just 49 seconds into the half.
“It”s inexcusable that something like that would happen just after we talked about it,” said an incredulous Coach Ardis.
The Lions pushed forward, looking for the equalizer, and several shots were taken, only to go just wide or be deflected by a Tiger defender. With the Lions pushed up on the offensive end, this left the back line exposed, and Dripping Springs was able to take advantage of that for a goal and a 3-1 lead. The game would end with the Lions defeated by the 3-1 score.
JV vs. Dripping Springs
The Lockhart Lion junior varsity soccer team traveled to Dripping Springs Tuesday, Feb. 28, for a match against the Tigers.
The Tigers” junior varsity team, having won consolation at a varsity tournament, would be quite a test for the Lions.
“I told the team that the score was not important today,” Coach Ramez Antoun said. “Let”s just play a good game, pass the ball around, and make good decisions.”
The Lions came out playing strong soccer against the Tigers. Players were moving well and communication, which had been a work in progress all year, allowed the Lions to work the ball well against a tough defense. However, the Tigers” counter-attack proved to be a good one, and the Lions were beaten down the sidelines several times throughout the first half, leaving the defense in a bad situation. By halftime, the score was 2-0 in favor of Dripping Springs.
“I was happy with our play in the first half,” Coach Antoun said. “We worked well in the midfield, we just need our wings to step up and play some defense. Mauricio made several good stops, but he did allow a gift of a goal.”
The second half began with freshman Michael Pittman in goal. The Lions again came out aggressive, but the Tigers” speed was too much for the Lions to handle.
Time after time, the Lions made their way down the sidelines into the Lions defensive end of the field. Eventually, the defense cracked, leaving Pittman to face several tough shots. Pittman made several great saves, even though many balls did find the goal in the second half.
“I told Pittman that they would have scored 12 had it not been for his efforts,” Coach Antoun said. “Our defense left him in bad situations several times in the second half. I think he did a great job against impossible odds.”
The final score was 7-0 in Dripping Springs” favor. The Lions next take on Lake Travis Friday, March 10.
(Courtesy of Ramez Antoun)