Jordan completes playoff climb after rocky start in District 19-6A
It might have seemed unlikely in early February, but the Jordan boys soccer team controlled its path to the playoffs in its District 19-6A home finale Monday against Morton Ranch.
The Warriors continued a strong stretch of play with a 3-0 victory, not only clinching the remaining postseason spot at 95-2 but passing Cinco Ranch for the No. 3 seed. A Class 5A state semifinalist last year, Jordan extended its first season in 6A.
“We’ve been putting the results out there to put us in a good situation,” Jordan coach Jason Meekins said. “At the end of the first round, we were 4-4, sitting in sixth place. We knew it was going to take a lot of results at the end of the day to get where we wanted.”
Juancarlos Santos’ team-leading eighth goal, a penalty kick in the 45th minute, broke a scoreless tie and seemed to open the attack for the Warriors, who added another four minutes later.
“At halftime, Coach Meekins talked about once we get that first goal, everything will change and the game will be better,” Santos said. “Once I got that first goal, it just made everybody more confident, and more and more started to come.”
Jordan (13-7-3) produced an early shot on goal from Aiden Erol and a redirect late in the half by Marcelo Ojeda that was saved by Jaimer Contreras. Morton Ranch (4-15-1, 3-13-0) recorded its first shot on goal in the 28th minute, as Jayden Farfan’s attempt was smothered by Elijah Betancourt.
“A lot of the first half we were in their half but we weren’t really finishing shots,” Jordan defender Pierce Sanchez said. “It was kind of like we were asleep in a sense. We weren’t fully into the game. We beat them 6-1 before and I think that got to our head a little bit.”
Santos and Kevin Sanoja had the Warriors up 2-0 shortly into the second half. Sanoja picked up a pass from Ojeda and worked through two defenders before scoring near the box.
The Warriors put away the match in the 61st minute as Cole Vernon’s cross was tapped in by Ojeda, who recorded his sixth goal of the season to go with a team-best eighth assist.
Diego Santiago played the last 15 minutes in goal to complete the shutout for Jordan, with Sanchez, Ben Bucic, Noah Rogerson and Owen Rogers anchoring the defensive effort.
The Warriors are 7-1-2 in their past 10 matches, including a 1-1 draw with 19-6A champion Seven Lakes, the Spartans’ only non-victory in league play.
Jordan rebounded from a frustrating stretch, following a 5-0-1 start by losing six of seven, including consecutive 1-0 losses to Cinco Ranch, Seven Lakes and Katy Taylor.
“It was real tough for us,” Sanchez said. “We had a very rough start. We lost a lot of games. We weren’t organized. We were very chaotic. There was a lot of confusion and a lot of anger between the team with how things were going at the time. We switched formations midway through the season, and we also had a big talk with the team and coaches. After that, a lot of confusion sorted itself out, and we came together as a team.”
Santos said the Warriors transitioned from a 3-5-2 formation to the more common 4-3-3. It has helped them outscore opponents 26-11 during the past 10 matches.
The Warriors open postseason play against 20-6A runnerup Bush. The teams have one common opponent in Ridge Point, which Jordan tied 1-1 on Jan. 5. Bush defeated the Panthers 3-1 five days later, only to fall 5-1 in the rematch.
Jordan carries the experience of a long postseason run and the consistent tests of 19-6A, which sends two 6A newcomers to the playoffs, including runner-up Paetow.
Last year, Seven Lakes won the Region III-6A championship, while Cinco Ranch and Paetow advanced to area in their respective brackets. Taylor, a regional quarterfinalist last year, and regional tournament regular Tompkins narrowly missed the postseason in a deep district.
“I think we understand the competition,” Sanchez said. “Going against competitors like Seven Lakes, who have a real good shot at going to state as well. It definitely puts in perspective what kind of competition we’re going to get into. We’re ready for that. We want to bring it on, we’re excited.”