The Rockdale Tigers first ever playoff game on Thursday night at Tiger Stadium came down to the final minutes before District 25-4A champion Bellville scored two goals in three minutes to take the contest 2-0.
“I can’t put it into words,” said Gilberto Rodriguez, Rock-dale High School soccer coach. “It was quite an amazing experience to see those stands full of people.
“Who would’ve thought that a soccer program in the second year of its existence would make the playoffs.”
The Brahmas came into the game after making it through district without a loss and were a strong offensive team led by sophomore striker Zachary Hood, who dominated the ball for much of the game.
The Tiger defensive line of Ethan Hughes, Fernando Gonzales and Ryan Nguyen with the help of midfielders Ezequiel Nino, Hagen Land, German Mata and Joan Pacheco were able to put a stop against Hood and company for much of the game, going into halftime tied at zero. The game stayed scoreless going deep into the second half with the bi-district round game looking more and more like it was headed into overtime.
That all shifted with 12:42 seconds left in the game when a goal attempt by the Brahmas ascended into the top of the goal post before spinning into the bottom of the net, giving them a 1-0 lead. The Tigers were forced to fight back but BHS scored once more on a similar shot with 9:04 left to take the lead and the game 2-0, ending the Tigers first ever season as an official UIL program.
“I’m super proud of our guys,” Rodriguez said. “I’m obviously upset that we lost but I’m really impressed with the way it went.
“We went into this game missing four of our starters and had the best week of practices we had all year and played an amazing game against a really strong team.”
All four of the players Rockdale was missing were seniors which meant Rodriguez was forced to rely on younger players who hadn’t played as much earlier in the season.
“The group of guys we had playing today are pretty much the same base I’ll have next year,” Rodriguez said. “I kind of feel bad for the guys that hadn’t played as much until these last couple of games because I feel like I’ve kind of slept on them.
“They really stepped up for us and it definitely has me more excited for what’s to come.”
Rodriguez also said that things will be different for the 2020 Rockdale Tiger soccer team.
“Our expectations have changed now,” Rodriguez said. “A playoff game for us was a plus this year but next year we won’t be able to sneak up on teams the way we did throughout the season.”
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