A SPLIT DECISION FOR KILGORE | Lady ‘Dogs lose to Bullard; ‘Dogs get by Lindale on to round three
On a night when the center official seemed to card everything wearing red EXCEPT the Don Chepes food truck, Kilgore goalkeeper Chris Martinez laid himself fully out in mid air to stop a last-gasp goal attempt by the Lindale Eagles.
One of Lindale’s players launched the shot from about 30, 35 yards out, and Martinez put his body on the line, going almost completely horizontal in the air and snatching the ball with 1:08 left in the game.
That ball, had it went in, would have tied Lindale with Kilgore in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 4A area, or second, round playoff.
Instead, Martinez grabbed the shot and pulled it down, securing it tightly on the R.E. St. John Memorial turf – as tightly as Kilgore secured a 3-2 win.
Coach Hector Peralez’s Bulldogs, now 22-2-2, will move on to the third round, or the regional quarterfinals, as it’s referred to on the bracket, where they’ll face either Jacksonville or Athens. Those two play Friday night at Athens at 7 p.m.
Kilgore’s Lady Bulldogs, unfortunately for them and their fans, were eliminated from the 4A playoffs on Tuesday night, losing to Bullard, 4-1, at Grace Community School in Tyler. More details on that game below.
As for the Card Fest – er, the playoff game – between Kilgore and Lindale at R.E. St. John, Kilgore’s Adan Reyes put KHS on the board first, with just over 30 minutes left in the first half.
And then Lindale’s Will Locknane scored to tie it up with 17:45 left in the half
Peralez and his Bulldogs chose an interesting strategy for what was left of the half – and it paid off.
With about five minutes left, Kilgore held back on its own end of the field, just about 15 or 20 yards from midfield. The Bulldogs passed the ball back and forth, standing in place, running clock, with a few Lindale players trying to swipe it from time to time.
Then, with about 2:22 left in the half, Kilgore pushed the ball upfield, and eventually – in a very physical game – officials whistled and awarded the Bulldogs with a penalty kick.
Jaime Vasquez juked out Lindale’s Brycien Cicconi and put the ball past him in the net, the go-ahead goal with just 31 seconds left in the half, making it 2-1 Kilgore.
The second half was a flurry on the field, although for Kilgore, the clock probably moved as slow as molasses. Lindale really pressed Kilgore, getting seven shots on goal in the final 24 minutes.
Locknane scored again for the Eagles (18-9), with 11:10 left, on a penalty kick. But any time there was a scrum in front of the Kilgore goal, Martinez either snagged the ball, got help from teammates (Jose Vasquez actually had a save), or Lindale just flat-out missed and Kilgore took the ball back out of harm’s way.
The climax with Martinez grabbing the final realistic Lindale shot with 1:08 left allowed Kilgore to pretty much run out the clock, and the Bulldogs are off to round three.
It was the 22nd win of the season for the ‘Dogs, the 96th for their senior class, and they’re one win away from qualifying for the UIL Region II Tournament at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium in Tyler next weekend, April 5-6. Teams that get there are two wins away from the state tournament, being played once again, as it is every year, at Birkelbach Stadium in Georgetown.
Here is the actual boys 4A playoff bracket: Soccer Playoff Brackets — University Interscholastic League (UIL) .
Bullard 4, Kilgore 1 (girls): The Lady Bulldogs didn’t fare as well, with keeper Esperanza Garcia going down with an injury – she was taken away to a medical facility, but did Facetime with teammates later.
Lexi Lara scored the only goal for Kilgore, getting that early in the second half.
When Garcia was injured, Bullard’s players gathered with Kilgore’s while they were attending to her, a classy move.
Bullard moves on to face the Sulphur Springs-Palestine winner.
For Kilgore, it’s the end of a season that saw them finish up 19-5-1, and 14-2 in district play. The Lady Bulldogs, coached by Todd BonDurant and Jason Bragg, and seniors on the team, honored earlier this season, are Emily Beason, Yoseline Serrano, Gloria Cedillo and manager Leslie Martinez.