The Aubrey Chaparrals and Pilot Point Bearcats boys soccer teams met for the second time this season, with the Bearcats finding a way to hold the Chaps to a 0-0 tie at the end of regulation Feb. 28.
The Chaps would go on to outscore the Bearcats 4-2 during the penalty shootout, but the game went down as a tie on both teams’ records.
“We didn’t play very well,” Aubrey head boys soccer coach James Dumond said. “I could tell all day long that the boys’ focus was a little off kilter, and Pilot Point was highly motivated. We were going through the motions, and it cost us tonight.” The two teams battled through two halves, but neither team could find any cracks in their opponents’ defense, with the horn sounding at the end of regulation with the score tied at 0-0.
Pilot Point played Aubrey closely in the first game between the two earlier this season, losing 2-1, but the scrappy Bearcats found a way to tighten their defense in the rematch the Chaps needed to win to improve their postseason chances.
“They did a fantastic job of holding us off [defensively] by sitting in a low block and staying compact,” Dumond said. “… We got the penalty kicks, but we’re still in a situation where, if we beat Panther Creek, we could potentially get into the playoffs, so we have everything to play for. We just have to respond on Monday with probably the best practice of our lives.”
Aubrey followed its tie with Pilot Point with a 1-0 loss against Panther Creek to end the season.
Pilot Point head soccer coach Iseed Khoury spoke highly of the energy and effort his team displayed.
“We played hard,” he said. “We had some chances, and we didn’t take advantage of those, but I thought the guys gave it all they had. We just came up a little bit on the short end.”
The Bearcats showed marked improvement in the rematch despite only having 11 players available for the match.
“We have some injuries, and we have some players being disciplined for making poor decisions, but I couldn’t be happier with my team,” Khoury said. “… We made things difficult for Aubrey, and in the end, we could have nicked this game. We have Celina, and then our last game we play Bonham at home. Hopefully, we can get one of those two.”
Pilot Point went on to take a 6-0 loss to Celina Tuesday night, but have one more chance to find a win in a matchup with the Bonham Purple Warriors at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Massey Stadium.
