North Shore tops Dobie 2-1 in the boys Class 6A Region II soccer playoffs.
North Shore and Dobie collided for the second time this year and third straight time in the playoffs Friday at Galena Park ISD Stadium, but no matter how many times they play, it never gets old.
Their matches never grow any easier, either.
After a scoreless first half, the Mustangs struck twice in the second, with Marcio Galeano’s sliding boot inside the box in the 66th minute lifting them to a 2-1 victory in the Region III-6A quarterfinals.
“It’s always something else when we play Dobie,” Mustangs coach Joseph Ramirez said. “I have a lot of respect for Dobie. Every single year we play them, we know we have to bring our best.
“They brought their best, and fortunately, we did, too.”
Now the Mustangs (24-1-3), ranked sixth in the state by TopDrawerSoccer, are taking their best to the regional tournament. They’ll face Strake Jesuit, a 2-1 winner over Cinco Ranch, in the semifinals at Abshier Stadium.
The Longhorns ended their season at 21-4-2.
A foul on Mustangs keeper Josue Resendiz set up a Longhorns free kick from just outside the goal box in the 12th minute, but the Mustangs’ wall successfully turned away the shot by Illsen Urrutia.
Then Jorge Perez of the Mustangs fired a rocket off the crossbar from 40 yards in the 20th. Both teams had chances in the final minutes of the first half, but they went to break in with scoreless tie.
That changed quickly in the second half.
Angel Hernandez pushed the Mustangs ahead in the 44th minute, keeping possession in a crowded box, then firing past Longhorns’ keeper Ramon Cahue. But the Longhorns answered only two minutes later, with Sebastian Leal sending a shot over Resendiz’s head from close range for a 1-1 tie.
“In the first half, we really came out slow. We had the wind to our back, so we knew there were going to be some challenges coming out in the second half, but we were lucky to get an early goal,” Ramirez said. “Then they came back and countered on us, got a goal and made it a real good game.”
P.N.-GROVES GIRLS 2, PORTER 1
The Indians are in the Class 5A Region III girls tournament for the fourth consecutive season, and it is at the expense of the Spartans for third consecutive time after a win at Galena Park ISD Stadium.
Port Neches-Groves won 3-2 in the same round last season and beat Porter 5-1 in the first round of the playoffs two years ago.
The Indians scored two minutes in on Jillian Flores’ short shot.
They pushed the lead to 2-0 in the 46th minute, and Kelly Rodriguez finally put the Spartans (16-7-2) on the board in the 70th.
“It was a very good game. PN-G is an excellent team,” Porter coach Luis Valle said. “We had more opportunities, but as I told my players, the winner is not the one who plays the better, beautiful game. It’s the one who makes less mistakes.
“We made a mistake with a goal, so we had to pay for that.”
CLEAR SPRINGS GIRLS 3 BRAZOSWOOD 2
The Chargers trailed the Buccaneers by two goals at halftime, in part on an owngoal, but they rallied to win in the Class 6A Region III quarterfinals at Manvel, sending them to the regional tournament for the first time in five years.
Emma Gray put Brazoswood on top in the fifth minute and then Clear Springs’ own goal dropped the Chargers into a 2-0 hole. But Sydney Robinson, Katie Marker and Rana Hussein tallied in the second half.
Marker’s goal tied it in the 70th minute, and Hussein supplied the game-winner with three minutes remaining.
The Chargers face Cinco Ranch in the regional semifinals at 12:30 p.m. Friday at Abshier Stadium.
KINGWOOD GIRLS 2, DEER PARK 1
The Deer were up on the state-ranked Mustangs at halftime.
But Kingwood found the equalizer with 26 minutes left, eventually forcing overtime, and then won in OT at Challenger Stadium to clinch its second consecutive trip to the regional tournament.
The Mustangs will face Tompkins, a 2-0 winner in OT over Cypress Woods, in a semifinals rematch.