A historic season for the Aubrey Lady Chaps soccer team came to an end last Friday, losing 1-0 to the Randall Lady Raiders in the 4A Division 2 State Semi-Finals on April 4.
The hotly contested matchup went down to the wire, with the Lady Raiders making a spectacular play in the second half to score the game’s only goal and take the win.
“They worked their tails off all year,” Aubrey head girls soccer coach Kelli Baker said. “All year we were finding ways to win, being gritty, and working hard even at the end of this game. We got denied by a crossbar and a goal line save, and if not, it's 1-1 and we’re going to overtime, but that will has always been there. Tonight, it just wasn’t as strong as a very good Randall team.”
Randall played with the wind at its back in the first half, dominating the time of possession, but the last line of Aubrey’s defense, led by goalkeeper Lexis Jones, held strong, making multiple saves.
The Lady Chaps’ offense found the Lady Raiders’ defense to be just as strong, with neither team able to crack the opposition strategy in the first half.
After the opening 40 minutes of play, the teams went into the half tied 0-0.
The strong defensive performance continued for both teams in the second half until Randall was able to break through Aubrey’s defense with a free kick that snuck into the right corner of the net, putting the Lady Raiders up 1-0.
Despite their best efforts, the Lady Chaps were unable to tie the game, coming close on a shot that struck the crossbar with 15 minutes remaining.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my keeper and my back line,” Baker said. “There are two freshmen and two sophomores in our back line, which is unheard of for underclassmen, and they played great. … It took an excellent free kick to beat us, and that's what I told the girls. We didn't get beat because we made huge mistakes. We got beat by an excellently taken free kick. It wasn't a trashy goal. It was beautiful, and it took something special in order to beat us today, and that's something they could be proud of.”
Despite the loss, Baker said the future couldn’t be brighter for a Lady Chaps’ soccer program that was a game away from playing for a state championship in its second season in UIL competition.
“Now this is expected of them,” he said. 'We’ve set a standard in our young program. … They are going to come back. They're going to be experienced, and next year when we make it here, the lights aren't going to be too bright. They're going to be able to rely on this for the freshmen coming in and tell them, ‘Hey, it's not that big. It's just another game. We just have to play well, and we will get through to the next round.’” Baker expressed the team’s gratitude to the Aubrey administration, coaching staff and parents for the support they gave the Lady Chaps throughout the season.
“Everybody in the community has been nothing but [supportive],” he said. “I've gotten so many texts this week, like, ‘Coach, what do you need to make this special? What do you need to make sure that we have the best season ever?’, and it comes from the top down, from the superintendent all the way down to the parents that show up every day in the stands.”
