The Midland High girls soccer team will need to win one more match against a District 2-6A rival if it wants a return trip to the playoffs.
The Lady Bulldogs will host Odessa High in a District 2-6A play-in game at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Astound Broadband Stadium as the winner will go into the playoffs as the fourth seed. The loser of the match will end its season.
MHS (10-11-3, 3-6-1-0, 11 points in district) and OHS (7-11-3, 3-5-0-2, 11 points) finished the regular season tied for fourth. The Lady Bulldogs fell to Odessa Permian, 2-1, at home on Friday, while Odessa High defeated Legacy, 4-0, to force the tie.
The teams split in the regular season with MHS winning the first meeting, 3-0, on Feb. 10, and then OHS winning rematch, 2-1, in Midland on March 3.
MHS coach Rafael Gonzalez knows that his team has to find way to capitalize more on its opportunities if it’s to have a chance at winning.
Against Permian, the Lady Bulldogs got an early goal from Hannah Johnson but couldn’t add on to it. That cost them as Permian answered later in the first half and then got the winning goal from Anai Lopez with 20:04 remaining in the match.
“Trying to find more goals has been the story of our district play,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve had plenty of opportunities, but it’s just a matter of finding the back of the net.”
The winner of this match will have to go to El Paso to play the District 1 winner in the bi-district round, which is March 23-25. Franklin currently leads District 1 by one game with two to play.
MHS BOYS TURN
FOCUS TO PLAYOFFS
The Midland High boys soccer team is turning its focus to making a playoff run after Odessa Permian spoiled its perfect season with a 2-1 victory at Astound Broadband Stadium on Friday night.
Permian (14-8-1, 4-3-1-2, 16 points in district), which was fighting for second place in District 2-6A, controlled most of the match against the district champion Bulldogs (17-1, 9-1-0-0). MHS didn’t get a goal until the final seconds from Aden Hendricks.
“They came out and were playing faster and more physical,” said MHS coach Jason Bush about Permian. “We were playing more to their game than how we play. It’s just proof that you have to bring it every night, every game and be 100 percent, because if you don’t, teams like that are going to beat you.
“I don’t think we let down because we had district already won. We were still trying to win out.”
The two goals are the most MHS has allowed in a match all season as the Bulldogs have only given up six goals all year.
The loss certainly doesn’t spoil what has to be one of the best regular seasons in the program’s history.
The Bulldogs will next host the bi-district round of the playoffs, which will be March 23-25, against the No. 4 seed out of District 1 in El Paso. MHS should know by the end of the week who its opponent will be as District 1 still has two matches left to play and a few teams still fighting for a playoff spot.
“We will practice a little bit (this week), get some time off and get away from it, and then come back refreshed,” Bush said. “We’ll fix the mistakes we were making and then do what we have to do to be ready for whoever we’re playing in the playoffs.”
LHS BOYS FINISH
AS NO. 3 SEED
The Legacy boys soccer team finished as the No. 3 seed out District 2-6A and will have to go on the road for the first round of the playoffs.
The Rebels (8-8-1, 3-4-2-1, 14 points) finished the regular season last Friday with a 3-2 loss at Odessa High. With Permian pulling off a 2-1 upset of district champion Midland High, LHS fell back to the third-place spot.
Matthew Gutierrez scored off an assist by Landon Howard, while AB Baeza added a goal with an assist by Tucker Tranum for LHS.
LHS, which is making its second straight playoff appearance, will play at the No. 2 seed out of District 1, which still has two matches left in the regular season. The bi-district round takes place March 23-25.
Follow Oscar on Twitter: @OLeRoy_MRT
