San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Harris, Warriors surge into third round
Pieper notched another milestone in the young program’s history Friday, defeating Alamo Heights 4-1 in a Class 5A boys soccer second round playoff match at Comalander Stadium.
With the win, the Warriors (22-3), advance to the third round. It is a big step for a team competing in only its second year at the varsity level and which was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season.
Leading the way for Pieper against Alamo Heights was senior Owen Harris, who had two goals, and Blake Dildy and Robert Iglesias, who each had one goal apiece. All of Pieper’s goals were scored in the first half, putting Alamo Heights (21-4) on its heels for most of the match.
“When we find the net early, we have a tendency to finish teams off,” Pieper coach Corwyn Rich said. “And the second half was just about maintaining, staying healthy and getting ready for next round. We felt like we were in a good position.”
Dildy scored the first goal 12 minutes into the match by launching an angle shot from 10 yards out that bounced into the corner of the net, beyond the reach of the Alamo Heights goalkeeper.
Rich said it didn’t surprise him that Dildy, a sophomore and the team’s second leading scorer, hit such a difficult shot to spark the Warriors.
“He’s been doing it all year long,” Rich said. “He just has a talent for it.”
Dildy said he felt his goal got things going for the Warriors.
“It’s only the second round, but every game is very intense and the passion the fans bring — scoring a goal for them is amazing,” Dildy said.
Pieper expanded its lead to 2-0 when Iglesias booted a shot from 15 yards out in the game’s 20th minute, which was set up by a pass from Jeremy Sanchez. A minute later, Harris, set up by a precision pass from Dildy, was able to get deep inside the Alamo Heights defense and convert a close-range goal to extend the Warriors’ lead to 3-0.
Harris capped off the scoring for Pieper when he converted a well-placed assist from Bennet Schrom off the penalty kick for a goal in the 25th minute.
Alamo Heights scored its lone goal with just over a minute remaining in the match.
With his two goals against Alamo Heights, Harris has scored six goals in Pieper’s first two playoff games. He notched four goals in Pieper’s 6-2 win over Cedar Park in the first round on Tuesday.
“He sets the tone for everybody,” Rich said about Harris, the senior captain of the team. “He’s an amazing player.”
With the victory against Alamo Heights, Pieper has won 18 straight and aims to continue that streak in the third-round matchup against Leander Glenn, which defeated Harlandale on Friday at New Braunfels Canyon.
The third-round game is a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff game in which Glenn won 1-0 in double overtime. Whoever wins the third round playoff matchup earns a trip to the semifinals of the regional tournament, which starts Friday in Brownsville.
Harris said he and the Warriors are focused on the ultimate goal: going to state.
“We were thinking since our first year (as a program), when we were freshmen and sophomores, our goal was by my senior year that we don’t leave here without a state championship ring,” Harris said. “We’re striving for that, and we just focus round by round and keep on going.”
Rich said he believes his team is ready for the challenge as they go further in the playoffs.
“It’s all new territory, but that’s the great part about being in new territory, they’re not afraid of it,” Rich said. “It’s something that is new and fresh to them, so they’re going in with no fear.”