Lion Soccer Defeats Marble Falls

Varsity vs. Marble Falls
The Lockhart Lion varsity soccer team hosted the Marble Falls Mustangs in district play on Friday, Feb. 17, marking the beginning of the second half of district play.
In the previous game, the Lions defeated Marble Falls, 2-0.
“This is the type of game that can sneak up on us,” said Coach Robert Ardis. “Marble Falls has been tough

against district opponents so far. With the weather we”re playing in tonight, the wind and the cold, anything can happen.”
The Lions took Coach Ardis” words to heart. They came out alive and aggressive, challenging for every ball and successfully trapping many balls in the air.
With the Lions playing into the wind in the first half, the long ball was not an option, so they were forced to play a more conservative, higher-percentage game. The Lions did so very well, and in the seventeenth minute senior forward Dwin Roland put the Lions ahead with a goal off a great pass from senior JC Vogel.
The Lions played solid soccer for the remainder of the half, and the defensive unit, led by senior Sam Bussa and junior Alex Pfefferkorn, held Marble Falls at bay. The first half ended with the Lions leading, 1-0.
“Like I”ve said all year, we play better soccer going into the wind. Tonight we used the entire width of the field and did a nice job of keeping the ball moving, both forward and back and side to side. Hopefully the second half will be filled with more of the same”, Coach Ardis said.
The second half opened with the Lions playing with the wind at their back. Despite the wind, Marble Falls was able to mount an attack, using the width of the field to their advantage. Many passes were put together in the Lion”s end of the field, but the defense of goalkeeper Jammer Kellum was able to end the Mustang threat.
The score remained 1-0 until the twelve-minute mark of the second half. JC Vogel was able to execute a very nice trap-and-shoot off a strong throw-in from junior Seth Guckian.
“We”ve been working on trapping the ball this week, so it”s nice to see work in practice to translate to success in games”, Coach Ardis said.
Eleven minutes later the Lions made a push down the left side of the field. Sophomore Rory Tunningley made a nice long run from his left wing position and was able to get free to center the ball in front of the Mustang goal. Junior David Moore was waiting, and executed a textbook diving header past the Marble Falls goalkeeper for a 3-0 Lion lead.
“Amazing play! That”s about all that can be said about that sequence. Rory did a great job working the ball down, getting free, and crossing the ball. David”s effort was incredible, both on that play and in the game in general,” Coach Ardis added.
The Lions held the Mustangs at bay for the remainder of the game, and the final score was 3-0.
The Lions are currently 7-2 in district and in third place. Next week, the Lions travel to Del Valle on Thursday, Feb. 23, and host Wimberley on Saturday, Feb. 25.
JV vs. Marble Falls
The Lockhart Lion junior varsity soccer team hosted Marble Falls in a district game on Friday, Feb. 17, at Lion Stadium.
Friday”s game marked the second time the Lions had played Marble Falls, with the Mustangs winning the first game, 3-0. “We really wanted to get a win against these guys”, said Coach Ramez Antoun. “We are a better team this time around.”
The Lions came out aggressive, challenging for every ball and winning a majority of them. Many passes were linked together and the Lions were able to sustain an attack for much of the first half. Scoring chances were hard to come by, as the Mustang defense was playing well. Many Lion shots were either blocked by defensive players or stopped by Mustang goalkeeper.
Defensively the Lions were an organized group, thanks to the leadership of sophomore sweeper Bobby Henrickson and freshman stopper Robbie Clifton. Every first half offensive push by the Mustangs was met with a waiting defensive group that was up to the challenge.
The first half ended in a scoreless tie.
“I was extremely pleased with our play in the first half. We looked good in all phases of the game. All I told the team was to keep shooting and to try taking one less touch on the ball. We dribbled into defensive players when a shot on goal was available an instant earlier. Also, with the wind in our face in the second half, short passes on the ground would be the smartest play”, said Coach Antoun.
The second half began much like the first, with the Lions linking together many passes and using the entire field. The shots on goal did come for the Lions. In the fifth minute sophomore forward Jose Jaimes netted the first goal on a low drive off a nice pass from freshman midfielder Cameron Peters. Five minutes later, the Lions went up 2-0 off a goal from Peters assisted by freshman Matthew Carneiro. The Lions kept the pressure on and were able to fend off a late Marble Falls attack to win, 2-0. Freshman goalkeeper Mauricio Gutierrez notched his fourth shutout in the Lion victory.
“The J.V. played their best game of the year tonight. We have made tremendous progress this year. This was a total team victory. I think Cameron Peters benefited from his time on the varsity, and he really stepped up his play tonight. It was a fun game to watch,” Coach Antoun added.
The Lions are currently 3-3 in district play and 4-5 overall. Next, the Lions travel to Del Valle on Thursday, Feb. 23, before hosting Wimberley on Saturday, Feb. 25.
Varsity vs. Vista Ridge
The Lockhart Lion varsity soccer team tackled the district-leading Cedar Park Vista Ridge Rangers on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at Lion Stadium.
The beginning of the game was a frenzy of end-to-end action. Both teams were able to link many passes together and get into good scoring positions only to be shut down by the defensive play at both ends. It wasn”t until the tenth minute that both teams began to slow the play down and try to attack in a more methodical manner.
Seniors James “Jammer” Kellum and Sam Bussa did well in organizing the defense, while junior Seth Guckian paced the midfield with great touch and vision. It wasn”t until the nineteenth minute that the Rangers were able to get loose on the left side and bury a nice curving shot for a 1-0 lead.
“We did lose track of that guy, but he made a good move and let loose a great shot. Sometimes you just have to tip your hats to the opponent”, said Coach Robert Ardis.
That 1-0 lead would carry the game into halftime, but the Lions did have several scoring opportunities before the first half ended.
“At halftime I told the guys that this was a winnable game. All we have to do is make that extra pass, take that extra run, and be aware of each other on the field. With the wind at our backs in the second half, I felt we had an excellent opportunity to pull out this game.”
The second half started out much like the first, with end-to-end action and two motivated teams really going at one another. Before the first minute was even up, the Lions pulled even with a low well-struck goal from junior David Moore assisted by Senior JC Vogel. From that point on, the game reached another level. The Lions dominated the next few minutes putting together many passes, but were unable to pull ahead. Several goal-scoring chances were left out on the field.
“We had a lot of good chances to score, particularly on the right side, but our wings did not finish their runs. It”s a little frustrating to watch the ball roll right by an empty goal, knowing if a player was where he should”ve been it would have resulted in a goal”, said Coach Ardis.
The game continued as Vista Ridge was able to mount a sustained attack on the Lion goal. The Lions stood strong, but the Rangers were able to draw a penalty kick with about fifteen minutes remaining. Goalkeeper Kellum was able to get a hand on it, but it wasn”t enough, and the Lions fell behind 2-1.
The Lions did not quit, and continued to attack the Vista Ridge goal. Several good shot sailed just wide, and in the closing seconds the Rangers tacked on an insurance goal. The game ended Vista Ridge”s three goals to Lockhart”s one goal.
“Overall I”m pleased with our performance tonight. As I told the players, I feel we can play with these guys, and we can beat them. We”ll just have to play a little harder next time”, added Coach Ardis.

JV vs. Vista Ridge
The Lion junior varsity soccer team battled Cedar Park Vista Ridge Rangers on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at Lion Stadium.
The Rangers came out quick and aggressive, and the Lions were put on the defensive almost immediately. Although the Lions did get some good offensive pushes, the Rangers were able to open the scoring in the eighth minute off a good shot from right in front of the goal.
“It was a preventable goal,” Coach Ramez Antoun said. “We just lost track of them in our end of the field. That is usually a good recipe for disaster.”
The Rangers counter-attack led to their second goal. As was the case on the first goal, a Lion defender lost track of his defensive responsibility that led to a Ranger goal. A fumbled ball by the Lion goalkeeper led to the Rangers” third goal, and halftime came about with the Lions down, 3-0.
“I don”t really know what happened on that last goal”, said freshman goalkeeper Mauricio Gutierrez. “I think the ball had some funny spin on it and I didn”t get down on it fast enough”.
The Lions did come out in the second half with a little extra charge in their legs. They were aggressive in defending and attacking, and had opportunities to score. Freshman goalkeeper Michael Pittman made several good saves in the second half, and freshman Cameron Peters did a good job of pacing the midfield. Unfortunately the Lions could not overcome the sluggish start, and the Rangers were able to tack on two more goals and win, 5-0.
“I really wanted the guys to come out in the second half and put up a good fight,” Coach Antoun said. “We have several talented players, but unfortunately we really haven”t been able to put it all together on a consistent basis. We just wanted to come out in the second half and play some smart soccer.
“Our team is getting better. All we can do is continue to work hard every day and hopefully things will start to go our way. There are several really good players on this squad, and before long they will start to show their talents,” Coach Antoun added.
Freshman AJ Maderal played well in his first game of the season, as did sophomore Christian Gutierrez.
(Courtesy of Ramez Antoun)