Texas HS Boys – Cypress Lakes vs. Cy-Woods
The high school season is going at full pace in the state of Texas and thousands of teams are getting on the field each week to compete for the much-coveted spots in the playoffs. Prep Soccer will be following the…
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Continue ReadingThe high school season is going at full pace in the state of Texas and thousands of teams are getting on the field each week to compete for the much-coveted spots in the playoffs.
Prep Soccer will be following the action closely, covering as many matches as possible every week and providing reports featuring the players that had remarkable performances in those encounters. On Wednesday, we were at the Division 6A – Region 2, District 16 match between the Cypress Lakes Spartans and the Cy-Woods Wildcats in Katy.
Cypress Lakes 1 – 1 Cy-Woods
The duel between the top teams in the district was a heated one with hard plays, multiple yellow cards for both sides and a lot of noise coming from the stands. The match had two distinct halves with the hosts being more dangerous in the first 40 minutes and the visitors having more control in the final portion.
Both teams found the back of the net in the first half. The Spartans scored first, with senior midfield hitting a beautiful shot from distance that ended in the upper corner of Cy-Woods’ goalkeeper Tony Robia. More physical, the Wildcats insisted on sending the ball inside the penalty box and ended up getting a goal from a corner kick in a confusing play.
Both teams’ efficiency level dropped a bit in the second half, but the intensity not, with defenses prevailing over offenses for most of the time. Because of that, set pieces became a big factor in the match and Cy-Woods scored another one from a dead-ball situation, but the goal was called because of a foul on Cypress Lakes’ goalkeeper Andy Garcia.
With the result, the Spartans remain at the top of the district standings with six wins, two losses and one tie. The Wildcats are second with five wins, one loss and three ties.
Players of the Match
Josue Martinez
Josue Martinez
Cypress Lakes’ captain played a big role with the team from his deep-lying midfield position. Martinez got on the ball a lot and controlled the team’s pace by connecting good passes from the middle. He made good combination plays through the middle and also fed the wider players with his great vision. Martinez scored a beautiful goal with an incredible shot from distance and was also dangerous with set pieces. He also worked hard on defense, helping close the space in the center of the field.
Sam Sager
Sam Sager
One of the team’s captains, Sager anchored Cy-Woods’ backline from his left-side position in the team’s back three. A very physical player, he won most aerial duels he was involved with and did a very job when challenged by opponents in the turf too. Sager had some interesting battles with Cypress Lakes’ dynamic forward Ali Nundu and won most of them, keeping his opponent under control for most of the match. He was also very clean on the ball and also displayed some good quality by taking set pieces and making crosses into the penalty box. When the Wildcats were in possession, he would move up a bit in the field to give the team a stronger presence in the middle.
Samuel Vazquez
Samuel Vazquez
Vazquez led the Spartans from his position in the backline with impressive fighting spirit and reliability. He was tested by Cy-Woods’ physical players, but was up to the challenge, winning the duels in the air and keeping things under control thought he middle of the defense too. Vazquez displayed good chemistry with fellow center back Omar Diaz and shut down most of the attempts made by the Spartans. The captain also displayed strong leadership and tried to create chances by sending long free kicks inside the penalty box near the end.
Jackson Whitley
Jackson Whitley
Whitley was of great importance for Cy-Woods for his versatility and his ability to use his great physical tools to create an advantage over the Spartans. He started the match playing right-wingback and did a solid job there, working hard to win the ball on defense and displaying some quality when pushing forward. He was moved to the left wing halfway into the second half and provided a big target for the team’s long passes and managed to create some goalscoring opportunities with his physical plays. Very strong in the air, Whitley was also a weapon near the end, when the Wildcats insisted with sending long free kicks into the penalty box.
Ali Nundu
Ali Nundu
Cypress Lakes’ diminutive forward led the line for his team and, although he couldn’t get a good finishing opportunity all night, he worked hard for it. Nundu was dangerous with some runs behind Cy-Woods’ backline but also displayed an impressive to make holdup plays against much taller and physical opponents. He drifted towards both flanks but was also smart to drop back and drop a center back with him, creating space for his teammates. Nundu also did heavy defensive work, tracking back to fight for the ball.
Nathan LaFleur
Nathan LaFleur
It’s probably fair to say that no player covered more ground than LaFleur during the 80 minutes of play. Working on a double pivot in front of Cy-Woods’ defense alongside Jairo Contreras, the midfielder was the engine of the Wildcats team, playing with impressive intensity and making important plays on both sides of the ball. LaFleur worked hard on defense and got several tackles in the middle, but also did good things in possession, making strong runs through the middle, dribbling in tight spaces, combining with his teammates and attempting long-distance shots.