Soccer teams progress
Both of the Dripping Springs High School soccer teams made the treacherous leap past the bi-district level to advance in the playoffs.
The way the bi-district selection of opponents works is that the two districts flip their standings, and the first place team gets to play the fourth place team. The Lady Tigers were District 266A champs and played fourth place 25-6A Stony Point High School. The Tigers had the toughest draw as they finished fourth in district and played champion Westwood High School.
The Dripping Springs Lady Tigers (18-3-2) have legitimate eyes on another state title, making short work of Stony Point 9-0. After the first round of play, the Lady Tigers are the only team still representing District 26-6A.
Last Monday, the Lady Tigers met Steele High School for the area title.
Meanwhile, the Tigers had a tough road to travel. First of all, they had to win their final district game to qualify for the playoffs. They had to play from behind the entire season and a couple of big wins late in the schedule put them in place to make the playoffs — including the win against Austin High School, 3-1.
Coach Josh Hill said he understood it would be a major challenge to expect a win over Westwood, but all they wanted was the chance.
The result was a tense and exciting game. Neither team scored in the first half. The first goal scored in the second half was by the familiar combination of DSHS’s Merrill- Russell. Westwood would tie it on a corner. It would stay that way through the first 10-minute overtime. Westwood would score first in the second overtime, and it looked like that would do it, but with less than a minute remaining, Dripping Springs tied it up.
If the game is tied after the second overtime, the game is decided by the shootout of five penalty kicks by each team. Merrill, Russell, Alex Hutchinson made their kick to stay even with RR. Johnson kicked his and when the Tiger goalkeeper, Lucas Perez, repelled the fourth try and Joey Svoboda made his, Dripping Springs won the game on the 5-4 shootout.
Lake Travis High School was the only other district boys team to advance. Dripping Springs (10-11-2) played Reagan High School last Monday in the area game.