PHOTO BY STEPHEN SHEAD Loralei Clapper kicks the ball from the sideline.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN SHEAD Sunny Jones kicks the ball.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN SHEAD Jada Bustamante heads the ball.
Soccer preps for playoffs with touch early schedule
The Wimberley Lady Texan soccer team played some of the best competition in the state of Texas last week.
In fact, three of the four teams Wimberley faced during a tournament in San Marcos finished last season ranked in the top 25 in the state in 5A and 6A competition, which are significantly larger schools than Wimberley’s 4A classification. The Texas Girls Coaches Association has not yet released statewide rankings this season.
“We made a strong schedule on purpose,” Head Coach Brinton Nute said. “It is not always about the results. It is about the process. We are moving in the right direction, and this will set us up well for district in February.”
The week started off with a Tuesday 5-1 victory over La Vernia.
“We played some really good soccer,” Nute said. “It was a convincing victory against a very physical team. We competed physically and dominated possession from a technical standpoint.”
The Lady Texans then moved on to the tournament in San Marcos. The first game was a 4-0 loss to Harlan, a 5A school from the San Antonio area. On Friday, Wimberley played two games. The first was a 1-1 tie with Laredo with Holly Harwood scoring Wimberley’s goal on a 40-yard free kick.
“She caught it sweet, and it literally went right in under the cross bar,” Nute said. “The keeper never had a chance.”
Even though the tie was the best result Wimberley had during the tournament, Nute said the result was the most disappointing due to Laredo’s late goal to tie the game coming on a controversial call.
The second game on Friday was against Victoria East, which beat the Lady Texans 3-0. The final game on Saturday was against Alamo Heights, which Nute called “probably the most renown soccer school at the 5A level.” Wimberley lost 4-1 with Josie Deathrage scoring the lone Wimberley goal on a left-footed shot from the edge of the box.
This week, Wimberley will face Gregory Portland from Corpus Christi on Friday. Gregory Portland is another 5A school that also finished last season ranked in the top 25 in the state.