Defense preserves Friendswood’s win
HUFFMAN — Friendswood edged Magnolia 1-0 in the Region III-5A championship at Falcon Stadium on Friday night.
The Mustangs, ranked third in the Texas Girls Coaches Association poll, netted the game’s only goal early in the second half and withstood the No. 4 Bulldogs’ comeback efforts for the remainder of the game to get to the state tournament for the ninth time in program history and first since 2014.
Friendswood moves on to the state semifinal where it will take on Region IV champion No. 2 Dripping Springs, which topped No. 8 Cedar Park 2-0 on Friday. That game, played at a neutral site, will take place early next week.
The Mustangs scored the only game of Friday’s region final in the 47th minute of action. Leading scorer Olivia Schmidt dribbled into the left side of the box and sent a low cross under Magnolia keeper Taylor Sanderson, and it was kicked in at the right post by Brooke Spinks.
Magnolia pushed up the field but was kept from high-quality chances in close by the aggressive Friendswood back line.
In the first half, Magnolia played with the wind at its back and had the majority of the chances. The Bulldogs took nine shots and put five of them on net, but Friendswood keeper Ellen Fairbanks had little trouble making saves as the back line was strong and most shots came from a distance.
The Woodlands’ run continues
The Woodlands’ accomplishment Friday
evening was 11 years in the making.
The Highlanders and coach Dina Graves advanced to the Class 6A state semifinals with a 1-0 victory over Mansfield Lake Ridge. The Woodlands’ regional championship is the first for the program since 2010.
The Woodlands took a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute as Marley Krach scored on a shot from about 35 yards out. The Lady Highlanders’ slim advantage would stand at halftime and through the second half.
This is the program’s deepest playoff run since 2017, when the team lost in the regional semifinals. The Woodlands has reached the regional finals six times since 2008.
Bookend goals power Memorial
There were no goals scored in the middle 76 minutes of the 6A Region III final between Memorial and Cy-Fair, but an early goal and late goal gave the Mustangs the 2-0 victory at Spring Branch ISD’s Tully Stadium on Friday evening.
In the second minute of
the match, Logan Patterson received a pass from Adelhia Ghonda on the left side and scored a short-range goal.
In the 78th minute of the match, Tijana Lekic found the ball amid a throng of players in front of the Cy-Fair goal and scored on another shortrange shot.
Cy-Fair was awarded a penalty kick in the 73rd minute of the match, but Memorial goalkeeper Maddie Dukes got squarely behind the shot that was kicked to the lower right side of the goal to stop it.
Memorial’s run through first five rounds of the playoffs, in which it has outscored opponents 27-1, comes on the heels of the Mustangs’ undefeated District 17-6A championship.
Memorial is regional champion for the second time in school history, the other time coming in 201718, its state championship season.
The Mustangs will play 6A Region IV champion Vandergrift in the state semifinal Tuesday evening at Merrill Green Stadium in Bryan.