Kennedale girls claim 4A crown
Wylie East girls, Lufkin boys earn spots in state finals.
GEORGETOWN— Kennedale applied extreme offensive pressure from the opening kickoff, scored two goals in a nine-minute span of the first half and rolled to a 4-1 victory over Princeton in the Class 4A girls title match at the UIL Soccer State Championships.
Both teams were making their inaugural appearances in the state tournament, which included 4A schools (formerly classified as 3A) for the first time this season.
The Wildcats’ Allie Thornton hit the goal post with a shot in the sixth minute but converted her next opportunity with a 30-yard rock- et from the middle of the pitch and past Princeton goalkeeper Darista Herrera in the 12th minute for a 1-0 lead.
Kennedale (23-2-1) added to its lead in the 21st minute when Alondra Olmos took a pass from Thornton and lobbed a shot over Herrera that bounced into the net before Princeton defender Haley Lewis could catch up with it.
Olmos scored her second goal with a bending corner kick into the upper left corner of the net beyond the reach of Herrera in the 48th minute.
Princeton finished the season 21-5-2.
Class 5A girls semifinal
Wylie East 2, Grapevine 1: Tori Smith headed home a rebound in the 75th minute as Wylie East (20-4-2) advanced to a state final for the second straight year. Once again, the Raiders will face Van- degrift for the state title.
Smith’s winning goal began with a corner kick by Asia Revely that was headed off the crossbar by Valiree Morris. Smith redirected Morris’ header with a header of her own that found the net behind Grapevine goalkeeper Reilley Ott.
Morris was credited with the match’s first goal after she and Grapevine’s McKae Duncan jumped to head Revely’s corner kick and Duncan deflected it past Ott in the 36th minute.
Grapevine (23-3-1) tied the match in the second half, when Jordan Slim pushed a perfect pass from teammate Sophia Smith out of the reach of Wylie East goalie Brooke Lynn-Scroggins.
Class 5A boys semifinal
Lufkin 1, Tomball Memorial 0: The Panthers (25-2-1), making their first appearance in the state tournament, advanced to the title game with a victory over the Wildcats (19-8-2).
Lufkin had scored at least two goals in 13 of its previous 14 matches, but the Panthers’ offense was defined on Thursday by a buzzer-beating shot in the first half.
Senior defender Chris Marquez collected an errant ball on Tomball Memorial’s half of the field, eluded a defender by kicking the ball to himself, and drilled it into the net.