Soccer teams shining brightly

The two Dripping Springs soccer teams are making waves in the soccer world. They are competing in a new district this year and it appears it will be a bit stronger than in the past two years. When you have a strong program, this is a good thing. After their first two games with probably the top two contenders, both are sitting on top with very exciting wins over New Braunfels Canyon and Boerne Champion.

The latest rankings show the respect each team is getting for their play. Although the actual play is the only thing that counts, rankings are nice to look at and compare. Along with their first in district, the Lady Tigers are ranked 27th in the nation, sixth in the state (all teams), first in 5A and second in all of Region IV. They were somehow missed in the latest American-Statesman poll.

The latest rating for the Tigers starts with 97th nationally, 26th in state, 4th in 5A, 7th in Region IV and first in the American-Statesman 5A Poll.

A single goal in the second half by Taylor Hodsden provided the only goal as the Lady Tigers out-battled NB Canyon 1-0. Against Boerne Champion, it would take two goals by Taliyah Copeland, aided by assists from Hodsden and Ella Ruff to get past BC 2-1. Close games means the defense is playing well and Coach Perrine praised Hannah Gamez, Rylie Flores, Avery Davis and Laney Kalsu for their efforts in the win.

For the Tigers, the 1-0 wins were just as nervewracking. Against Canyon Ethan Roberts would net the ball with an assist from Mason Russell. Against Champion, Russell would get the goal with Gabe Molander providing the assist. Again, Coach Hill recognized the contributions from his defense in the wins. He pointed out his center back, Jair Ortega and his teammates Adrian Chiang, Ian Driggers and Javier Gonzalez for their outstanding play in holding opponents scoreless.

The JV Tigers played to a 2-2 tie against Champion. Alex Hutchinson and Nate Warner getting the goals.