MOJO Showcase Day 2 has a comeback and a big win
One of the most traditional and exciting season-opening boys soccer tournaments in the state of Texas, the MOJO Showcase is underway, with matches taking place in the Katy area from Thursday to Saturday. Reuniting 35 high school teams from several…
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Continue ReadingOne of the most traditional and exciting season-opening boys soccer tournaments in the state of Texas, the MOJO Showcase is underway, with matches taking place in the Katy area from Thursday to Saturday.
Reuniting 35 high school teams from several regions of the Lone Star State in 11 different venues, the MOJO Showcase features some of the best talent in the area.
We’ve been in attendance for two matches on Friday and here’s what we saw:
ROYAL 2 – 1 SHADOW CREEK
The Royal Falcons from Brookshire rebounded from their opening-match loss to Katy with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over the Shadow Creek Sharks from Pearland, who had also dropped their opening match to Fulshear, at the Rhodes Stadium.
The Sharks explored well Royal’s struggles in the air and put them under constant pressure from set pieces in the first half. In one of their very first attempts, senior midfielder Caden Garbade beat the Falcons’ defenders on a corner kick to score from a header.
Royal continued to compete and although senior forward Aldo Celestino wasted the team’s first opportunity to tie the match in a penalty kick, junior midfielder Sebastian Badillo scored twice in dead-ball situations (one penalty kick and one free kick), the last of which with only 40 seconds left on the clock, to give the Falcons the victory.
Players of the Match
Sebastian Badillo
Sebastian Badillo
The junior midfielder ended up deciding the match for his team at the end, but had been a key piece for the Falcons since the start. During the second half, when Royal were dominated by Shadow Creek for most of the time, some of Badillo’s runs from the left were important to get the team out of pressure and force the Sharks to play defense and his mid-range shots were also dangerous. He was clinical on both set pieces he scored from and had the bold, yet very successful idea of targeting the goalkeeper’s low corner in the game-winning free kick.
Caden Garbade
Caden Garbade
Shadow Creek’s main playmaker in the match, Garbade was involved with nearly everything the Sharks produced. He used his size well to score the team’s goal early and on did a very good job of distributing the ball in the middle. Garbade moved well on the field, often drifting towards the less-crowded sidelines, from where he had space to try to connect his through passes. He displayed great quickness of thought to play one-touch often and was also very accurate and dangerous with his set pieces.
Aldo Celestino
Aldo Celestino
Royal’s diminutive striker might have missed a penalty kick that could have changed the course of the match, but he made great impact up top with his smart movement. Celestino was a handful for Shadow Creek’s defenders to deal with and he fought for every ball that went his way with everything he had. His hard work paid off near the end as the forward drew one penalty kick and the foul that generated the game-winning goal within the last few minutes.
Gabri Forghieri
Gabri Forghieri
Shadow Creek’s dynamic midfielder played a big part in the team’s efforts against Royal. His relentless work for sure didn’t go unnoticed as Forghieri covered a lot of ground and fought for the ball on defense, but also played a big role in the team’s buildup. Very creative and smooth on the ball, he beat Royal’s defenders quite a few times in the middle and also created good chances with his long-distance shots.
Jose Morales
Jose Morales
Morales was probably Royal’s most consistent player on the field. He did a very good job of shielding the team’s backline and won a lot of plays in the center of the field by using his body. He also helped push the team forward with his efficient and accurate passing and was dangerous with long-distance shots. Morales was pushed to the backline during part of the first half and helped the team build out of the back.
Darrius Gardner
Darrius Gardner
Although his play dropped a bit in the second half, Gardner made a big impact in Shadow Creek’s game. He spent most of the time on the left and his direct style created all sorts of problems for Royal’s backline. He also got the assist on Garbade’s goal with a well-taken corner kick. Gardner was moved to the central region of midfield during the match and responded well, maintaining his high-energy style.
SEVEN LAKES 7 – 0 MEMORIAL
One of the strongest teams in the state, the Seven Lakes Spartans from Katy had their second-straight comfortable victory in the tournament as, playing at home, they dominated the Memorial Mustangs from Houston to a 7-0 win.
The Spartans got the score open with a header from senior defender Javier Mestre and then saw sophomore winger Kortay Koc Kortay Koc null | F Seven Lakes | 2025 TX and junior midfielder Aidan Morrison help them build a 3-0 lead before halftime.
Despite multiple substitutions during the second half, the Spartans didn’t slow down and got four more goals with senior midfielder Alexie Matute, junior defender Eduardo Davalillo, senior midfielder Pato Valdes and senior forward Hunter Merritt all finding the back of the net.
Players of the Match
Aidan Morrison
Aidan Morrison
Morrison was pivotal for Seven Lakes’ emphatic win as he coordinated the team from his midfield role and dictated the tempo. He was very active offensively, scoring in the first half with a low finish after a good combination play and tallying three assists. Morrison did a very good of understanding the game and knew exactly when he should drop deeper to get on the ball or push forward to get on a good spot. He was extremely efficient with his passing and often got defenders off-guard by playing one-touch.
Playing primarily on the left, Koc was a nightmare for Memorial’s defense. He progressed the ball really well and was always very difficult to stop when pushing forward. He scored Seven Lakes’ second goal with a left-footed finish and also created for his teammates, registering an assist. Koc also stood out for the pressure he was able to make on Memorial’s defenders and on some occasions he was able to generate good chances from that too. The low part of his performance was the penalty kick he missed in the second half.
Highlights
Hunter Merritt
Hunter Merritt
Merritt played a variety of different roles in Seven Lakes’ front line and excelled in all of them. When more centrally, he did a very good job when combining with his teammates and making diagonal runs to exploit the space behind Memorial defenders. He spent some time playing on the right wing too and used his pace to create problems for the defenders. Merritt registered an assist and scored the team’s last goal in a true striker fashion, getting to the ball on the penalty box and finishing from close range.
Fernando Lazo
Fernando Lazo
Seven Lakes’ left-back was in and out of the match, but made a very positive impact when he was on the field. Very good technically, he made some very strong runs down the left flank and had a couple of pinpoint crosses that didn’t result in goals. Lazo also did an excellent job on the defensive side of the ball, protecting his area of the field well and getting several tackles.
Sean Fargo
Sean Fargo
Memorial’s box-to-box midfielder tried to push his team forward with his intelligent play and managed to create some good situations with his passing. Fargo was very direct with his play and always looked to find simple and efficient solutions for the plays. He drifted more to the left and found some good space to operate there and also created some danger from set pieces.
Memorial’s dynamic winger used his pace and ball control to try and create danger in transition. He combined well with Fargo on the left and had some very good runs, despite not being able to get a finish or assist a teammate. Cardona always kept Seven Lakes’ defenders occupied and prevented their right-back from pushing forward as much as he wanted. He also played an important defensive role, tracking back and helping the team defend down the left.