Two of the Ranch Cities’ soccer programs, the Aubrey Chaparrals and the Pilot Point Bearcats, faced off Tuesday night, with the Chaps taking the victory 2-1.
The Chaps jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first half, but the Bearcats fought back in the second period, pushing the game until the final horn sounded.
“We ground out a gritty win,” Aubrey head boys soccer coach James Dumond said. “We knew Pilot Point would be very tough. They’ve been close in every game, so we knew it would be a dogfight and right on cue it went down to the final seconds, [but] we came out with a squeaker, 2-1.”
Aubrey scored the game’s first point when freshman Allen Palencia found the net after being set up by a free kick by se- nior Juan Serrano.
“I just bent the kick towards the far post and [Allen] was there to tip it in,” Serrano said.
Senior Aiden Pearson added the Chaps second goal on a penalty kick and sent the teams into the half with Aubrey leading Pilot Point 2-0.
Pilot Point was able to get on the scoreboard after senior Yonatan Coyote slipped a shot past Aubrey’s goalkeeper to make it a onescore game midway through the second half.
“Resiliency is what we’re all about,” Pilot Point head boys soccer coach Iseed Khoury. “We have to be a tough-minded, resilient team that goes after every 50-50 ball, and that’s the attitude we have. I thought we gave them a very good game, and the score shows that.”
The two teams continued to trade possession for the remainder of the match with multiple crucial stops by the goalies for both teams, Pilot Point’s Joel Alejos and Aubrey’s Jayden Weier.
Despite the Bearcats’ second-half comeback effort, the Chaps were able to hold onto the lead, collecting their second district win of the season.
“We have to keep playing hard and keep getting better,” Khoury said. “… The future is bright for this school. The program is two years old, and we jumped right into varsity play, and we’re playing 4A teams, so the district we’re playing in is bigger. I’m very proud of my team, and they have a great future.”
Dumond said he was happy his team picked up the win, and the Chaps will use the momentum going into their next matchup with Panther Creek on Saturday.
“They beat Pilot Point 2-1, just like we did, and whoever wins that game on Saturday would put themselves in fourth place going into the second round of district,” he said. “It’s critical for us. Pretty much every game we play from here on out is a playoff game, and our message to the boys is that we have to treat them that way.”
Pilot Point will play Celina at 7:15 p.m. Friday at Massey Stadium, and Aubrey will go on the road to face off with Panther Creek at 1 p.m. Saturday.
