So now it’s official - it’s game on for the regional quarterfinals.
Belton rode 30-mph winds to a 2-0 halftime lead, then was almost as potent in the second half in posting a 3-0 victory over Garland Rowlett in a boys Class 5A area-round soccer playoff Friday night at Midlothian ISD Stadium.
By blanking the Eagles (14-6-6) in wind-chill temperatures that dipped below the freezing mark, the Tigers (26-1) - ranked No. 5 nationally in the ESPN RISE Fab 50 poll - earned a date against the 11th-ranked Mustangs (25-1-2) in the 5A Region II quarterfinals. That showdown will be played Monday or Tuesday at a time and site to be determined.
“Sachse’s good. Their record is real similar to ours,” said Belton senior forward Josh Caffey, a New Mexico signee who scored twice to push his season total to 36 goals and his career number to 103. “They haven’t tied or lost very many, so they’re going to be a good team. It’s going to be a good game.”
It should be the first big postseason test for the Tigers, who have won 24 consecutive games and had Friday’s match in hand throughout.
With Rowlett struggling against the wind in the opening 20 minutes, Belton held a 7-2 edge in shots at the midway point and took a 2-0 lead into halftime.
Junior Dillon Darr opened the scoring with a free kick into the left side of the net from about 30 yards out with 21 minutes left in the first half. Caffey made it 2-0 less than 10 minutes later, showing deft touch with a 19-yard free kick that he fit between the outstretched arms of Rowlett goalkeeper Chad Dearen and the top post.
But up 2-0 and moving into the wind in the second half, the Tigers didn’t sit on their haunches. Instead, they peppered Dearen with seven more shots and got a capping goal from Caffey 12 minutes before the final horn.
“I told the kids at halftime that we were going to get breakaways now because they were going to be pushing up on us,” Belton coach Tarcisio Mosnia said. “I told them to play smart and that whenever we had the opportunity to go on a break, then to do so because we had the speed over them.
“Then as for defending (Rowlett) in the second half, basically I just said, ‘Hey, if you don’t know what you’re doing, then just clear it.’”
The Tigers heeded their coach’s advice. The Eagles managed eight second-half shots, four of which were off target. The rest were corralled by Belton keeper Manuel Amaya.
All of that set up next week’s clash with Sachse, which had been ranked in the top five nationally before suffering its only loss - to Rowlett.
“It’s a confidence booster because we really didn’t even know for sure what we were getting into with Rowlett,” said Mosnia, who will try to guide the Tigers to their first regional tournament appearance since the 1999 team advanced all the way to the 4A state tourney. “But knowing they’re from the same district and what happened over there, it makes us feel a little better. But we’re not going to take anybody lightly."
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
