The Chaps varsity soccer team sat three points behind Dripping Springs, out of the playoffs and coming off of a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Lake Travis March 5. One week later, they grabbed a crucial win over the Tigers in the last regular season game of the season to make the playoffs.
Westlake (9-7-5, 5-4-3 District 26-6A) finished the season with a tie and a win to extend their season. A 1-1 result with Del Valle brought them within two points of the playoffs, as the Tigers had a bye, and then a win-or-go-home game ended Drip’s season when the Chaps prevailed 4-0. Westlake survived and advanced, securing the improbable playoff berth.
“We need to bring the same energy and intensity we brought into the Dripping Springs game offensively,” head coach Evan Foxworth said. “We had creative runs, intentional movement off the ball and quality finishing.”
Senior forward Nicolas Mierres got the scoring started early against the Cardinals, striking within the first ten minutes to get the Chaps on the board. It was their only goal despite ample shots throughout the match.
“We didn’t have our best offensive game but also, credit where credit is due,” Foxworth said. “Del Valle played hard and dropped 10 guys behind the ball into a low-block following their goal,making them very difficult to break down.”
The defense held strong for the next 15 minutes, but Del Valle scored the equalizer with 17 minutes remaining in the half. After that, the two teams were locked in a stalemate for the remaining hour. The Westlake defense never allowed the Cardinals to get a clean look, and it showed in the box score. Senior goalie Mack Elliot and the defenders locked down Del Valle.
“Defense has been solid all year,” Foxworth said. “They are disciplined in the back to rotate off of each other’s movement and don’t make many mistakes. We will need them to continue to be dominant going into the playoffs against a strong Vandegrift offensive side.”
Following the hard-fought draw, The Chaps jumped all over Dripping Springs, scoring three first half goals en route to a 4-0 win. In a must-win game, the Westlake offense delivered. The Tigers never found their footing, and weren’t really able to launch a coherent attack on the offensive end.
The Chaps continue their frantic run against Vandegrift March 21. The Vipers are 15-2-3 on the season, and haven’t lost since mid-February. The series between them and the Chaps is tied 4-4, with the last meeting coming in 2021, where Vandy prevailed 2-1. Westlake will look to carry their desperation into that match.
“The last two games I feel that the team really realized that this is our last time touching a soccer field,” senior captain Simon Katz said. “Especially a senior stacked team like ours, we were playing like this would be the last time.”
