The Wylie soccer teams were in two different spots heading into the week.

The girls team entered the week comfortably on top of the district standings while the boys were near the bottom as they were reaching the brink of elimination.

Things changed this week for both teams, as the girls soc­cer team began the week by beating Rowlett 4-1 on March 2. The Lady Pirates got two goals from Hayley Wolfe and two more goals from Amelia Leggett, bringing her total to 20 on the season.

After the win, Wylie faced their second game in as many nights on the week, as they took on Sachse the night of March 3 in a key road matchup. The Lady Mustangs were a tough out for the Lady Pirates, as the two teams battled to a close Wylie victory early in the sea­son.

Sachse remained just three points behind Wylie in the dis­trict standings with one loss in district competition and made this game a tough defensive battle. This led to a physical, playoff-like atmosphere on the field as Sachse came on top 1-0.

“Every time we play Sachse [it’s intense],” Wylie head coach Chris Bezner said. “They’re great and always have been. They’re well-coached and every game was going to be a battle.”

All season long, Wylie’s game plan in the attack has been to stretch defenses out and open avenues for their attacking talent to thrive. In this game, Sachse stayed compact on the defensive end and the defend­ers weren’t afraid to hack at the Wylie attacking players. After a late goal by Paige Baumgart­ner to give Sachse the lead, the Lady Pirates had multiple free-kick opportunities off of fouls outside the box from Sachse defenders.

For the full story, see the Mar. 10 issue or subscribe online.

By Kyle Grondin • [email protected]