The hole in that strategy proved to be Vincent Crepeau, a sometimes overshadowed Tigers senior who foiled the Wildcats’ plans.
Crepeau scored four goals and Belton answered a couple of Temple surges to complete a season sweep of the rivalry series with a 6-3 victory Friday night at rain-soaked Wilson-Kerzee Field.
The win clinched the outright District 12-5A title for the Tigers (23-1 overall, 13-0 in 12-5A), who will try to stretch their winning streak to 22 games in Tuesday’s regular-season finale at College Station A&M Consolidated.
For the Wildcats (13-12, 5-8), who already were eliminated from playoff contention, the setback followed a pattern that has repeated itself throughout the district season.
“Throughout the year, we’ve had flashes of brilliance,” Temple coach Matt Corley said. “That’s what we had tonight - a speckle of it, and then we’d lose it.”
Crepeau, however, shined throughout.
The feisty forward had one-touch goals to bookend the first-half scoring and send the Tigers to intermission with a 4-2 lead, then added both Belton goals in the second half - a left-footed boot on a tough angle deep in the box and a lunging header.
“I’ve just been on my game lately,” Crepeau said. “I’m getting a better feel for the game and learning how I’m supposed to make those runs.
“The wet conditions helped out in a way because they made the ball speedier. I could move the ball better because once a defender made a wrong move, they were down.”
New Mexico signee Caffey still managed to notch a pair of goals - beating Temple goalkeeper Brandon Stegmeyer with a shot inside the near post for a 2-0 lead and bending in a corner kick for a 3-1 cushion - to run his career total to 100.
The strikes by Crepeau and Caffey offset stretches in which the Wildcats displayed their offensive firepower.
Angelo Farrow headed Andrew Minzenmayer’s pass past Belton keeper Manuel Amaya to cut the gap to 2-1 midway through the first half, and Itai Meki scored on a penalty kick only 30 seconds after Caffey’s corner kick goal.
“We just started playing (about midway through the first half),” Corley said. “At the beginning of the year, we did that to everyone we played, and then I think we lost some confidence somewhere along the way.”
The Wildcats’ chances were fewer and farther between in the second half. Minzenmayer’s free kick from about 30 yards out sneaked its way through the Tigers defense to cut it to 5-3 with 21 minutes remaining.
Belton quickly snuffed out Temple’s spark when Tyler Pate centered a pass that Crepeau headed home two minutes later.
“They were really defending Josh,” said Belton coach Tarcisio Mosnia, whose team is ranked No. 7 nationally in the ESPN RISE Fab 50 poll. “They were triple-teaming him or quadruple-teaming at times when he went for the ball, and that left Vince open.”
Temple will finish its season at home Tuesday against Killeen Ellison.
Belton will play a first-round playoff game March 23 or 24 but isn’t looking past the district finale against runner-up Consolidated.
“Every game is important,” Mosnia said. “Tuesday’s game will be important for how we go into the playoffs."
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
