Tiger Soccer returns to state competition

The Dripping Springs High School boys soccer team had state in mind as the season began.

It seemed to be their goal to return to the state championships to complete unfinished business, even if a different classification. The road was not smooth as they struggled early and had to win their final match to earn a fourth-place finish. It hardened them to the tough matches ahead, and they kept eliminating number-one seeds along the way.

The major roadblock is always regionals. DSHS’s first game was with Laredo’s Alexander High School, and thanks to goals by Joey Svoboda and York Merrill with an assist thrown in by Mason Russell, the Tigers hung on for the 2-1 victory to put them in the finals opposite Brownsville’s Riviera High School.

Like the first game, each team scored in the first half with Merrill putting the final nail in the coffin with a goal in the second half for the next 2-1 win and on to state.

Like the March Madness tourney which just concluded, few top seeds succeeded. In the state meet to be held at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown, only one numberone seed made it, and Dripping Springs will be a decided underdog to be sure. That's okay; a chance is all they need.

Last year, the Tigers lost in the 5A finals and hope to take it all this year. The semifinal matches will be held on Friday, April 14, and the finals will be held Saturday, April 15.