The Wylie East girls soccer team holds up four fingers to indicate that the Lady Raiders are heading to the regional final for the fourth year in a row. The Lady Raiders defeated previously undefeated Tomball 2-0 in a Region II-6A Division II Semifinal at Waco iSD Stadium Thursday. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media
By David Wolman
WACO — The Wylie East girls soccer team has been in Class 6A for four years.
All four years, the Lady Raiders have reached the regional final.
The Lady Raiders booked their latest trip to the Region II-6A Division II Final after shutting out previously undefeated Tomball 2-0 in the regional semifinals at Waco ISD Stadium on Thursday evening.
“It’s unbelievable,” head coach Kody Christensen said. “I feel honored. I feel like we have worked really hard to have this opportunity. We’ve been in 6A for four years and have been to the regional final all four years. We’re the only team in 6A that’s ever done that. That says a lot to the girls, to the program, to the school.”
Tomball came in not having allowed a goal in its previous three matches and just one regulation goal over its last five outings. However, the Lady Raiders, fresh off an eight-goal explosion in an 8-0 rout of Mesquite Horn in the area round, weren’t intimidated by Tomball’s defense. Wylie East came out the aggressor, was quicker to the ball and used its overall team speed to its advantage.
With 6:47 remaining in the first half, junior forward/midfielder Sophie Preston got the Lady Raiders on the board. Preston received a pass inside from sophomore Seyi Ajakaiye and fired a shot into the net for a goal and a 1-0 Wylie East lead. The Lady Raiders nearly increased their advantage to two goals a couple of minutes later, but they hit the crossbar off a free kick.
“I felt that we were knocking on the door for a while,” Christensen said. “We just had to continue to hold the ball, create some opportunities and build an attack. Sophie’s goal was a remarkable goal. That put the pressure on Tomball.”
There were several times during the second half when that lead came close to being ended.
The Lady Cougars nearly capitalized on a turnover by the Lady Raiders in their own end two minutes into the second half. Tomball kicked the ball from straightaway, but junior goalkeeper Hailey Fincher, who watched the first half from the bench while senior Addyson Lomax played, reached up with her hands to make the save.
Fincher came up with several clutch saves over a second half in which Tomball held a significant advantage in scoring chances,. Fincher also received help from senior defender Maddie Akers. Akers saved a goal after Fincher had left her net to play a ball. Akers was 1-on-1 against a Lady Cougars player near the goal line, but Akers kicked the ball away, and Wylie East remained in the lead.
“We’ve used that two-goalkeeper system all year, and it’s something that I’ve never done,” Christensen said. “They’ve each got their own talents. We’ve orchestrated kind of a methodology of what we do, and they own it. Hailey came in and saw some difficult balls, especially with us going into the wind in the second half. She did a good job. Really proud of goalkeepers.”
Wylie East finally created more separation from Tomball in the 63rd minute. A Lady Raiders player alertly saw that Wylie East had a numbers advantage going up the field and quickly threw the ball in before the Lady Cougars could get set on defense. The ball eventually landed on the foot of senior Brooklyn Reiter. Reiter dribbled through the right side and kicked the ball over the hands of the Tomball keeper for a goal and a 2-0 Lady Raiders lead.
“We watched the first half, and the corners were wide open,” Christensen said. “They ran their outside backs a little high and a little too central. We just ran some wings into some spots. Even when we couldn’t connect on one to Hannah (Warren), they saw some space and that back was high. So, we threw it into a space, got a little touch and off Brooklyn went.”
Wylie East (22-4) will play the winner of Friday’s game between Forney and Cypress Woods in the regional final next week at a time and location to be determined.
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